


Freezing Travels

by ANormalGeek



Category: Call the Midwife
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2018-11-21 13:27:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11358444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ANormalGeek/pseuds/ANormalGeek
Summary: Patsy and Delia don't know each other but both go on the same school exchange and wilderness course to Sweden. Fokus on them as two very different teenagers in an alien setting. There will be snow, IKEA, reindeers and ABBA.





	1. Going on an Adventure

**Author's Note:**

> I am very interested in cultural differences and thought this could be a fun project for me as writing practice. I just hope that maybe one other person finds it OK :)

Delia was going to Sweden. SWEDEN. She had never been further than London to visit her aunt and now she was going on an exchange program to Stockholm. She would live with a Swedish family for one week in the city and then they would travel up north to do a course in wilderness survival and first aid. Delia’s mother was beside herself.   
“Cariad, you can’t go to Sweden! You’ve not even been to Scotland! You will be too cold! And we don’t know what food they’ll feed you or if you will be safe up there in the arctic!” Mrs Busby had alternated between tutting and yelling all afternoon.   
“Mam, it’s not the arctic, we’re not going that far north and I’m sure the food will be fine. I mean, if IKEA is anything to go by I will be rolling home!” Delia couldn’t help but giggle.   
“What about bears!”   
“Enough,” Delia’s dad interrupted. “The girl will be fine. She knows how to look after herself and it all looks very organised and proper.”   
“But David, what about what they say about Scandinavians?” Mrs Busby raised her eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest.   
“Mam what are you insinuating?” Delia was on the verge of loosing her patience. The trip was all planned and had been paid for by a scholarship. She was going.   
“You know.”   
Delia could have sworn her mother was blushing.   
“They are supposed to be a bit more liberal up there and I don’t want any daughter of mine to sit around in a sauna full with people dressed only in what they wore when arriving into this world!”   
“MAM!” 

 

Patsy was sitting at the dinner table with a book in one hand and chopsticks in the other. Her father had ordered take out for the third time that week and was currently reading a newspaper while eating noodles with a fork.   
“Dad?” Patsy asked after a moment and put her book to the side.   
However, there was no answer.   
Patsy took a breath to calm her annoyance. They hadn’t spoken a word to each other in two days. Not because anything was the matter, nothing was ever the matter (apart from the screaming obvious), they didn’t talk because they honestly never had anything to say. But now she needed him to at least pretend to be a parent and not a housemate.   
“Father,” Patsy said, louder this time.   
“Yes darling?” Matthew Mount finally looked up from his paper.   
“I won a scholarship to go on a school exchange to Stockholm in February. I need you to sign the form as I am still seventeen.” Patsy stated plainly.   
“Yes, alright, hand it over.” He immediately waved a pen in the air impatiently.   
Patsy took the note from her bag and handed it over.   
“It sais here it involves some traveling as well. That’ll be good for you, I’m sure. I’ll transfer some funds over to your account.”   
“Yes. Thank you.” Patsy took the note and stayed put for a moment longer, expecting her father to have more questions. But he seemed to already have forgotten her presence and as she didn’t actually know what to say herself she simply put the take-away boxes in the bin and walked back to her room.   
Just as she was about to close the door she heard him say her name. She pretended not to hear. 

 

Delia had waved her parents off at the bus station in Tenby and had been picked up by her aunt at Victoria Station. Together they’d had some fish and ships in a pub before going to the airport by car. The journey by bus had given Delia time to build up some nerves and the time with her aunt had worked to calm them. It was easy to get nervous when you stopped to think about going to different country with only strangers around you. Same as it was hard to stay nervous when sitting next to her batty aunt who was singing along to Bohemian Rapsody at the top of her lungs. 

It had been easy to spot the group by the check in as both the leaders looked ready to go on a quest to the north pole. They were a group of 16 going over. 14 kids and 2 adults. Delia had read that the kids would be from all over the UK and that the 2 teachers that would accompany them would come from a school in London.   
“Hello!” One of them greeted her and Blodwen as they approached. “Are you Delia or Barbara?” The man looked a tiny bit ridiculous in his enormous orange jacket but his smile was friendly.   
“Delia,” She confirmed smiling back.   
“Marvellous! I am Mr Buckle.” The man ticked her name off a list. “We’re just waiting for one more and then we’re off!”   
A girl almost ran Delia over with her case a moment later and both Delia, the girl and the contents of the bag were quickly scattered across the floor.   
“I’m so sorry!” The girl looked mortified and her pink cheeks quickly turned red. “I was just so worried about being late and then I then I got lost! I am so so sorry!” The girl was rambling and looked mortified enough so Delia didn’t have the heart to be annoyed.   
“No one died,” Delia laughed and helped her up.   
As Delia helped the girl repack her bag Mr Smith was bouncing on his heels.   
“So, everyone say goodbye to your guardians and we’ll all get checked in!”   
Delia was bundled into a hug by her beaming aunt. “Have fun now, love! I’ll pick you up when you get back.”   
Delia started to feel nervous again but it was mainly excitement that filled her stomach.   
“Okay guys, I’ve put you in pairs of two and you’re responsible for looking after each other through the trip! This will also tell you who you’ll live with when you’re staying with families for the first week.” The man in the orange monstrosity handed the list over to his colleague. “Miss Crane will read the list out and then you can introduce yourselves.”   
The woman looked slightly disapproving of her colleague and once she addressed the group Delia felt like it was a major of a military company addressing them and not a teacher.   
“Barbara Gilbert, you’re paired with Jenny Lee.”   
Delia felt her posture droop a little. Barbara had seemed very friendly. But surely they could be friends anyway.   
“Delia Busby.” Delia looked up again. “You’ll be paired with one of my students; Patsy Mount.” The words sounded almost like a warning but Delia couldn’t tell if they were directed at her or the other girl. Either way her head went completely blank a second later when she saw who she’d been paired with.   
The girl who came up to her for a handshake was beautiful. Delia had many times thought that beautiful was a word that never fitted well when describing teens but this girl was something else. She had slightly curled strawberry blond hair, pale skin and prominent cheekbones and jawline. Her eyes were perfectly painted with black eyeliner and her lips red. It didn’t help that she also wore skinny jeans, a figure hugging wool jumper and a perfectly broken in leather jacket.   
Delia could only hope that her cheeks didn’t colour when the girl gave her a friendly smile. 

 

Patsy had been paired with a short, cute looking girl from Wales. She wondered if Miss Crane was coddling her. Patsy had been subject to endless teases and remarks from both boys and girls at school since she’d started in the fall. Being chucked out of boarding school had given her an immediate reputation but as soon as they had realised she wanted no more trouble they had started taunting her instead. The bullying had escalated after Christmas and Miss Crane had voiced her concern to Patsy who had appreciated the support but not wanting any help either.   
This girl looked like sunshine after three days of rain. Patsy had decided that this trip would be educational and nothing else, but when she shook the hand of the smallish brunette in the warm green jacket and huge yellow scarf she wondered if it might be fun too. 

Patsy quite quickly took that statement back. She had travelled quite a bit with her family when she was younger and had since then travelled a few times with her father during school holidays. She had never brought more than the allowed amount of luggage and she knew she could get through security in about 45 seconds. Traveling with the group proved to be a serious test to her patience. Two students (the girl called Jenny and a boy called Alec) had both packed too much and had to pay extra to not have to throw anything away (leaving both of them sulking for the rest of the day), while nearly a third of the group had to be reprimanded by security for keeping soda cans and water bottles in their hand luggage.   
Delia had mentioned that she’d never been on a plane before which had caused Patsy some concern but she needn’t have worried, the girl quickly took in all instructions and directions and she and Patsy got through it all seamlessly. Patsy had even found herself laughing with her new companion as Delia had introduced her to a game of guessing where people in the crowds were traveling and why.   
“Do you want to go grab a coffee and cake before boarding?” Patsy smiled as they entered the tax free hall. But Delia looked suddenly uncomfortable.   
“I should just get a drink from Boots I think.” Delia’s voice was low.   
“Right, okay,” Patsy felt like she should be kicking herself, if only she’d known what she’d done wrong.   
“It’s just,” Delia started, her gaze fixed on her shoes. “I don’t have that much money for the trip and I can’t really afford to spend a lot on the first day.” Delia spoke like it was something to be ashamed of and Patsy felt like a proper fool.   
“Oh, alright.” Patsy wanted to bang her head against the wall for not saying anything of actual meaning. “I think that sounds sensible though.” She looked at Delia who was still looking at her shoes. “Would it be alright if I follow? I’d rather have company than a latte.” Patsy hoped she hadn’t mucked up completely and realised with some surprise that she’d meant it when saying she wanted the company.   
Delia met her gaze for a moment as if checking if Patsy had been sincere before smiling and waving for her tag along. Patsy took a surreptitious deep breath and walked after her. 

 

Delia had been grateful Patsy hadn’t made any remarks about her having a strict budget. It was obvious that Patsy was posh but the other girl had made no attempt to go and join the others who had gone to sit at one of the restaurants. Instead she had joined Delia on bench with a diet coke and a bag of crisps from the shop.   
They had boarded the plane some time later and Patsy had even switched her seat with Delia so she could look out the window. The take off had Delia glued to her seat but the rest of the flight went surprisingly quickly. Delia had alternated between looking at the clouds, reading her book and discussing with Patsy whether or not it would be better if their host family were crime solving detectives or trolls, as those were their only points of reference of Swedish people. 

Once they’d landed they were supposed to be picked up by a buss and taken to a place where they would meet their host families. Delia however soon wondered how that was supposed to happen. The snow that had looked so pretty from the plane picked up to be a full blizzard and nothing could have prepared her for what minus 15 actually felt like.


	2. A New Home and Some Fika

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patsy and Delia meet their hosts for the first week and get to meet a new tradition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANKS FOR THE COMMENTS!!!!

After ten minutes of waiting outside, cold had a new meaning to Patsy. She was annoyed with all the films with a snow setting where people walked about without hats and gloves. Or carried stuff or used phones; she had given up on texting her aunt that she was in the country, her fingers too slow to work. Once her and Delia were both safely seated on the bus she pulled out a beanie and mittens from her satchel. Her hair be damned.  
“Patsy you are going to be cold in that leather jacket of yours,” Phyllis chided.  
“I was thinking about buying a warm coat here and now I can promise you I will, Ms Crane.”  
“Good lass,” Phyllis said with a tight nod that Patsy knew was the equivalent of firm approval.  
“I know I am supposed to complain about the cold but you know what I really want to do?” Delia smiled at Patsy over the brim of her yellow scarf.  
Patsy shook her head.  
“Sledding,” Delia beamed.  
“Sledding? Aren’t we too old for such things?” Patsy raised an eyebrow.  
“No, no way. I have never been sledding and so I can’t be too old. Or at least I have to find out for myself!”  
“I’ve never actually done it either but it seems like rather a lot of work for a small reward.”  
“Nonsense, it will be amazing.” Delia smiled on. 

They arrived at the stop where their host families were supposed to meet them and because no one wanted to draw out the time spent outside it was only a matter of minutes after they’d exited the bus to them being bundled up in a stranger’s car.  
“Hello!” The woman they were going to be living with for the next week turned around from the driver’s seat. “Now we can say hello properly. As you presumably already know I am Amelie and it’s me and my partner Philip you’ll be staying with.” The woman smiled broadly, increasing her slightly loopy look of blond curly hair and big glasses.  
“Nice to meet you,” Patsy greeted formally.  
The woman laughed. “We’ll go straight home now and get some hot drinks. We had planed to take you guys out but I feel like this weather might be a sign to stay in.”  
Patsy could only agree.  
“Sorry but who is who?” The woman asked without letting her smile falter. “I know you are Patience and Delia but not which is which.”  
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Delia started while Patsy tried not to raise her eyebrow at this strange very happy woman. “I am Delia and this is Patsy.”  
“Patsy? Is that what you want to be called?” The woman asked while turning around and steering out of the parking lot.  
“Yes, Patsy is just fine,” Patsy answered.  
“Brilliant, let’s go home!” 

Delia was ushered into the flat situated on the 4th floor and told to undo her boots as closely to the door as possible so as to limit the amount of snow entering the hall. Her and Patsy were immediately offered pairs of sheepskin slippers that looked to be as old as them but were wonderfully warm and comfy.  
A tall man came out of what seemed to be the kitchen. “Hey guys, nice to meet you!” the man offered his hand to both of them. “My name is Philip. Dinner will be ready in a minute so I hope you’re hungry!” If Amelie’s accent was close to a standard English, Philip’s was definitely more Swedish. Delia found it both awful and hilarious.  
“Please feel free to look around while we cook some dinner,” Amelie gestured for them to go into the living room.  
“Sure you don’t want any help?” Delia offered anyway.  
“No no, you guys go sit down for a minute.”  
And so Delia followed Patsy into the white living room with a grey couch and chairs, large TV and neat bookcase. A few tea lights and warm green blankets on the furniture made the minimalist room look warmer.  
“They might not be detectives but they might be related to trolls.” Patsy gestured to a collection of framed photos on the wall, referring to their earlier speculation on their hosts.  
Delia walked over to look at the pictures displaying Amelie and Philip with what was presumably them and a group of friends on a camping holiday in the mountains.  
“Are those reindeers?” Delia asked pointing at a picture of a group of animals taken in a vast green landscape with snow-covered mountains in the background.  
“I think so yes,” Patsy smiled. “They seem to have travelled a lot together.”  
Delia thought she heard Patsy put some kind of emphasis on the word ‘together’ and smiled at her new friend. “You’ve travelled a lot too. Seen anything like this before?”  
“God no. I’ve mainly seen the inside of hotel lobbies and skyscrapers.” Patsy said dismissively.  
“Where I live it’s not too far to the mountains but the beaches are the main thing in Pembrokeshire. Mam would also say the tea rooms are a big deal but I think the cliffs and ocean is a tad more exciting.”  
Patsy smiled but there was definitely a tightness to it. It made Delia wonder if she’d said something wrong but was stopped from thinking about it further by Philip calling them to the kitchen. 

Patsy happily accepted a second helping of pasta Bolognese. She hadn’t eaten any cooked meals at all in the last two days and enjoyed the garlic smelling food immensely. While she and Delia ate hungrily the Swedish couple spoke about their travels, their favourite Swedish cultural stuff and their road trip around the UK the summer before. Patsy wasn’t really an expert on family behaviour but she noticed that the couple neither bickered, like a lot of friends’ parents had done when she’d visited them when she was small, or used any terms of endearment, which would be standard even between customer and service worker back home. Amelie and Philip were definitely lovely people though and had asked Delia all about Wales, as they’d not been able to include it on their own trip. Delia answered them with a mix of politeness and cheek, causing Patsy to be even more aware of her own slightly brusque manner.  
“So Patsy,” Philip started, causing Patsy to swallow a bit to fast, almost making her eyes water. “You’re from London right? I know all about being a tourist over there but nothing of being an actual resident.”  
“Neither do I really.” Patsy was guarded yes, but not shy. “My family lived abroad my entire early childhood and then I was sent to boarding school in the country. I’ve only really lived in London since September.” She took a sip of water, nervous about what questions were to follow. She needn’t have been worried though.  
“Boarding school! We hardly have those at all in Sweden!” Philip sounded enthusiastic. “Please tell me it was like Hogwarts?” He laughed and Patsy was glad he was making fun instead of taking the serious question route.  
“Unfortunately not. Professor McGonagall would have been a marshmallow bunny in comparison to the teachers I had. They were all very competent but seemed to have taken work at a Catholic school for the idea of tight discipline than actually liking kids.” Patsy raised her eyebrows dramatically. “I still twitch whenever I see a crucifix, thinking about the daily sermons.” She added with a lighter tone of voice.  
“Did they measure your skirts with rulers? I’ve only heard about that.” Delia asked.  
“Yep.” Patsy smiled broadly, enjoying ridiculing her old school. She wasn’t keen to stay on the subject though so quickly asked a question instead. “What is school like here? I know we’ll find out tomorrow but it would be nice to have a clue before we go.”  
Amelie took away the plates and put on a pan of milk while answering. “There are no uniforms and I think we start school a little later than you do, at about 7.” She placed coco powder and a tin of biscuits on the sink. “More subjects for a longer period of time and we don’t use last names for either teachers or students. Not in the workplace either for that matter.”  
Patsy thought back about her old teachers and thought she’d probably have been chucked out quicker by using a teacher’s first name than by how she had actually been expelled. She called Phyllis by her first name sometimes but that had only been after the time she had been brought to the nurse’s station to be checked out after having been tripped on the stairs.  
“Fika’s ready!” Amelie interrupted Patsy’s thoughts with the unfamiliar term.  
“What’s fika?” Delia asked.  
“As we are your hosts we thought we should be the first to introduce you to our biggest cultural tradition.” Amelie smiled like she was presenting them with a box of puppies. “It’s the name for when you sit down and have a non-alkoholic drink, like coffee or squash, or in this case hot chocolate, and something sweet, like cake or biscuits.”  
Philip dipped a biscuit in his chocolate happily. “Like when you say you’re going for a coffee at a café you necessarily don’t mean you’re going to drink coffee. Fika is more of an inclusive term and it’s also as-“ he stopped. “Amelie what’s the word for självklart?”  
“Obvious or self-explanatory are probably the closest,” Amelie deadpanned.  
“as self-explanatory as the pub culture is to the British.”  
“Really?” Patsy was intrigued.  
“This is definitely my new favourite word,” Delia said and happily accepted a cup of hot chocolate. 

Delia had had a genuinely lovely night even if she was so so ready for bed. They had been shown into a small spare room with a bed and a camping bed and Delia had immediately taken the latter, knowing she wasn’t fuzzy. Now she was finished sorting out her clothes for the next day and had her hair combed out and teeth brushed she threw herself on the squeaky bed. When she looked up at Patsy though she saw the girl was dressed in pyjamas, hair in plats for the night but her gaze fixed somewhere far away.  
“Patsy?”  
Patsy snapped out of it and looked at a Delia.  
“Penny for them?” Delia asked carefully.  
“Just a bit nervous that’s all.” She brushed away invisible hairs on her old man’s pyjamas. “My aunt would have said ‘whistle a happy tune’” Patsy’s voice had regained its tightness from earlier.  
“Didn’t you say you’d gone to 4 different schools?” Delia asked neutrally.  
“Yes, you’re right. It’s silly.”  
“No that wasn’t at all what I meant.” Delia said quickly but sincerely. “What I meant was that you know the drill. It will be alright, but even so,” she bit her lip. “It is truly okay to be nervous, Pats.” Delia would have reached out had it been one of her friends from home but she didn’t want to crowd her new one.  
Patsy looked like she had been prepared to snap but then seemed to soften and smiled a sideways smile instead. “Thanks.”  
Delia’s stomach filled with butterflies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you found Amelie and Philip a bit ridiculous then that's exactly right because Swedish people are seriously uncomfy people and will overcompensate. 
> 
> Fika will come back because it really is a big deal over here. If you go into a café in the afternoon you'll see anyone from constructions workers to school kids. 
> 
> The next chapter will be the big school chapter and I'll go into some of Patsy's past.


	3. Icy Tones and Silver Tights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patsy and Delia have an argument which results in them perhaps understanding each other a little better. It's also the first day of school and they meet the rather interesting dresscode.

Patsy had woken up in the pitch black and when she lit her bedside lamp she could see that Delia was still very much asleep, arms above her head and legs tangled in the blankets. She felt bad for letting the younger girl sleep on the squeaky camp bed; but then again she didn’t look very uncomfortable.   
Patsy had been advised to either blow-dry her hair or wash it in the evening because the temperatures outside were so low it would freeze in the cold. Patsy was slightly curious and actually considered letting her hair air-dry after her shower just to see how it felt. But the wish to look presentable for the first day won out and she decided to blow it out and curl it as well.   
Showered, dressed and back in the bedroom she decided it would be a good idea to wake Delia up, who had flopped onto her stomach and hid her face in the second blanket.   
“Delia?” She shook her shoulder gently and to her surprise the girl stirred immediately.   
“Mm?”   
“It’s 6.45 and we have to leave in 45 minutes.”   
“Mm, okay I’m up.” Delia pushed her hair out of her eyes and got out of bed.   
Patsy sat down on her own bed to pack her satchel for the day when Delia started changing her clothes and Patsy felt her face go hot for a moment. It wasn’t that she was uncomfortable as such, more that she was very unprepared for this rather pretty girl who she’d met only yesterday to be so brazen.   
She quickly hid her head in a book.   
“Ponytail or bun?”   
“Huh?” Patsy looked up to see Delia, finally dressed in jeans and a flowery white jumper, combing through her hair.   
“Ponytail or bun? What do you think?”   
Patsy’s first response would be that she’d look beautiful in either but she knew that wouldn’t be helpful. “Bun?”   
Delia smiled and neatly put her silky chocolate hair in a bun and fixed her fringe in place with a mini pair of straighteners.   
“There, do I look okay?”   
“Perfect,” Patsy found herself smiling. At boarding school, she had seen girls spend an hour each morning making sure they look as perfectly messy as possible. She liked that Delia spent 15 minutes on simply looking nice.   
“You look nice too, by the way,” Delia said assuredly and Patsy felt her stomach flip. “Breakfast?” Delia grinned at her and Patsy nodded and followed her out the door. 

Both Delia and Patsy had been grateful for the tea their hosts had found forgotten on the top shelf of a cupboard. The familiarity of tea helped the strange experience of eating porridge made with water and salt instead of milk and sugar. Delia had chickened out of having lingonberry jam on it though when there was raspberry to choose from, while Patsy had been braver and tried it. Delia had promised herself she’d try everything but it was only the first day and she knew she’d get another go tomorrow.   
They’d chatted a bit over breakfast with their hosts who’d then given them directions and an oyster card each to get to school. They were just taking a short walk to the underground and then a 20-minute ride by train. As much as Delia was grateful to their hosts and felt welcome in their home she really was anxious to get going, to see what the day ahead had in store for them. They were supposed to just have a half day at the school today and then spend the afternoon in a kind of outdoor museum in town. When she put her shoes on though she felt like hugging Philip who pressed two paper parcels in Patsy’s hands.   
“You’ll be out all day and will need energy in the afternoon to keep warm, it’s minus 10 out.” He smiled warmly. “You’ll get lunch at school but I made you some sandwiches as well. Food out is always expensive and this will be easier to eat on the go.”   
Delia smiled warmly, really grateful for the thought as her allowance wouldn’t cover expensive museum snacks. Patsy however, had stiffened and Delia wondered if she all of a sudden was too posh for a packed snack, and she almost flared up in fury at the other girl for just hinting at being ungrateful.   
“Thank you,” Patsy said with a stiff voice.   
As soon as they were out on the streets Delia stopped Patsy in her fast stride.   
“What was that just now?” she almost spat.   
“What?”   
“He was nice and gave us food to bring and you just acted like it was beneath you to take it.” Delia kept her voice to a low growl but she really did feel angry.   
“What? No!” Patsy stopped completely to look at Delia. “I did no such thing. I was just surprised!” Patsy sounded angry too.   
“Patsy they’re being really nice to us and just because you’re used to better doesn’t mean you can act like that!”  
“But I am not, Delia!” Patsy exploded. “No one’s ever made a home-made sandwich before!”   
Delia felt her face go hot as she realised what had actually happened. Patsy was not used to kindness. She might come from money, that much was obvious, but she did not come from privilege.   
Delia had frozen for a moment and in those few seconds Patsy had turned around and walked away. She shook herself and ran after her. 

Patsy walked angrily down the still dark road, only lit by street lights and the headlights of the passing cars. She was angry at both Delia and herself. Delia for assuming she had everything just because she had a posh accent and went to private school, and herself for being stiff and unnatural when she should just be normal.   
The other girl caught up with her just as she walked down the steps to the underground.   
“Patsy I’m sorry.”   
Patsy stopped on the platform a minute later and looked up at the ceiling to avoid the other girl’s gaze. “No, I’m sorry.” She hated that she could feel her voice break.   
“I didn’t know.” Delia’s voice was soft and calm now. “I applied some of my own insecurities onto you and I should have asked instead of lashing out.”   
Patsy forced herself to answer. Usually she’d just brush the girl off. But she liked Delia, she was nice. “I am sorry for being so touchy. I just don’t know how to handle everything.”   
Patsy was awarded with a small smile from the other girl.   
“Friends?” Delia bit her lip and Patsy found it adorable.   
“Of course.”   
If Delia had known Patsy better she would have known that Patsy did not usually forgive and never really did ‘friends’ either. Not anymore. But Patsy thought about it and she really did see how it would have looked to Delia and so she let it go. She made a mental not to be extra nice to Philip later as well. 

Patsy and Delia didn’t speak for a few stations after they’d boarded the train but once the train went out of the tunnels and they could actually see something they started a gentle commentary on their surroundings.   
“Patsy look!” Delia said loudly after a minute.   
Patsy whipped her head round to look where Delia was pointing. They were on a bridge and on the frozen water below they could just spot people walking on the ice. The sun had just risen enough to shed some light on the world, and with everything white from the snow it didn’t require much for them to see.   
“Okay you might want to go sledding. I want to walk on water,” Patsy grinned at the view below. 

The school was a massive brick building in a suburb called something that Delia couldn’t pronounce. They’d met up with Ms Crane and Mr Buckle in the hall that had a small spiral staircase leading four floors up in the massive room. It wasn’t very grand in it’s design but the sheer volume of the room was impressive. The other students from their group all came straggling in, noses red and in various states of white from playing in the snow.   
Just after 8 o’clock an older man in a V-necked jumper and smart glasses came up to them with two students in tow. One of the students, the girl, looked very ordinary in her hoodie and jeans next to the male student who was wearing silver tights, band-shirt, cardigan and had a red bandana over his long black hair. The boy who looked about 18 was smiling with eyeliner-covered eyes.   
“Hello and welcome!” The older man’s accent was very much like Philip’s and distinctly Swedish. “My name is Magnus Andersson and I am the principle of this school!” He smiled widely. “It is very nice to have you here and I hope your week will be both fun and educational.”   
Delia found it slightly hard to concentrate on what he was saying about the school because of the smiling glam-rocker next to him.   
“Students here all had to apply to get in at 16-years-old and most are 18 and 19 when they leave. We have several different programs and you do either a majority in science, humanities, music or art but all students study math, Swedish and English and a few other subjects for at least their half their time here. This week however we have themed week and so most days will be filled to at least some extent with other activities.” The man stopped his speech and turned to the boy in tights. “Johan would you please explain more about that?”   
“Sure!” The boy smiled. “So this week we have a volleyball tournament that both teachers and students compete in, there will also be a prise for the team with the best costumes.”   
“Like the one your wearing now?” A boy from Delia’s group deadpanned and Delia felt like hitting him in the nose.   
“No, I look like this everyday!” The boy just smiled, unmoved by the remark. “We don’t have uniforms in Swedish schools and most don’t have a very serious dress code either so you can wear almost whatever.”   
Delia was impressed by both his confidence and his perfect American accent.   
“So anyway, back to volleyball. The competitions will happen everyday after lunch this week and then the finally will be on Friday morning and then we’ll celebrate the winners in the cafeteria with pancakes and whipped cream.” Johan smiled widely.   
“Lessons will continue on as well and I thought Vendela could tell you a bit about what classes you’ll be joining this week.” The principle gestured to the girl in the hoody.   
“Yes,” she looked at the group confidently. “Right after this we’ll split you up and you’ll join different classes through out the morning. We thought English might be a good class for you to see how we study it as a foreign language but we’ve also asked teachers to do most of their lessons in English this week so that you can join in on other classes as well.” She turned to the principle. “Magnus have you got the list of students who’ll act as buddies for the week?”   
Delia noted how casually she addressed the headmaster by his first name.   
“Tack,” she said to him as she was given a list. “When we’re all done here I’ll take you round to your classrooms and you’ll all be given a buddy for you to ask questions to and stuff while you’re here.” 

After the turbulent morning and then a load of new information, science class felt like a calm haven. Patsy and Delia had both been put in biology and were now sitting among a group of 16-year-olds learning about the respiratory system. Only a few students had grumbled about the lesson being in English but the teacher seemed perfectly happy and only stalled a few times when they had to translate something and therefor go back and forth between the languages.   
Patsy had decided to take the class seriously even if she wasn’t going to be tested on it and when it turned out that Delia was doing the same she felt one more piece of uneasiness leave her stomach. She had been angry at Delia for being like everyone else but then realised that Delia too had her insecurities, even if they weren’t the same as Patsy’s. And Delia had apologised. Patsy wasn’t used to that either.   
She looked over at her new friend as she scribbled in her notepad and felt like maybe this was someone she really could bare to have around. For two weeks. Patsy quickly pushed that thought aside and once more paid attention to the whiteboard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got longer than I expected so I had to break it up. I hope it isn't too much info and too little Pats and Deels! Next chapter will have them see a bit more of Stockholm and getting to know the rest of the group.


	4. Reindeers and Curry Pizza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group go to a museum in the afternoon and Patsy and Delia makes friends with Barbara.

Patsy had walked out from lunch early to sneak a cigarette before they were meeting up with the group to go into the city. Even though Delia was easy to be around it had eventually become too much with all the other students over a noisy lunch in the cafeteria and she had made her escape. Barbara seemed perfectly lovely and Jenny was sweet but she just needed a minute alone.   
It was still bitterly cold outside but it was made bearable with the sun shining brightly against the brick wall. Patsy’s first impression was that she’d really liked the school and everyone seemed genuinely friendly, but she soon started to see the cracks. Without uniforms it was even more easy to see who belonged to what gang who, maybe, paid high prices for it. And with so many subjects going on (one boy had informed her their class all had between 8 and 9 subjects this semester) it was easy to see why some of the younger students looked stressed.   
She inhaled deeply and immediately started to cough, the cold air making her lungs sting.   
“Patsy are you alright?” Ms Crane came round the corner.   
“Yes, yes,” Patsy threw the cigarette on the ground.   
“Those things might kill you, you know.” Phyllis said matter of fact.   
Patsy sighed. “I’ve promised myself to quit if I get into medical school.”   
Phyllis smiled at her. “Sounds like a good plan. Only 6 months to go!”   
“If I get in,” Patsy muttered.   
“Of course you’ll get in!” Phyllis looked at her sternly. “Just keep up the hard work and you’ll be alright.”   
“Just maybe not Oxford or Cambridge..”   
“Maybe not. But then you should go somewhere where you have at least some time to enjoy yourself too.” Phyllis smiled gently, a rare occurrence but all the more genuine because of it.   
“How are your hosts? And your new friend?”   
“They’ve been wonderful. Their flat is lovely.” She glanced at Phyllis before starring at her shoes at her next word. “Clean.” She shook her head dismissively. “And Delia is lovely too, she’s kind and she takes both the trip and the classes seriously.”   
“Good,” Phyllis patted Patsy on the shoulder. “Seize your time here. Grab hold of it, with both hands.”   
Patsy nodded and smiled.   
“Come on! It’s time to join the others.” Phyllis turned and walked to the front of the building with Patsy in tow. 

Delia had finally been able to speak to Barbara again. They’d chatted over lunch with Jenny and Patsy until Patsy had gone out for a smoke. Barbara was lovely and very enthusiastic about the trip and childishly excited about the possibility of seeing wolves and reindeers in the coming week. It seemed she had been less fortunate in housing though, sleeping on a spare sofa in the basement of a huge house with a family that seemed a bit plastic from Barbara’s description. Jenny on the other hand had ended up further away but in a sweet little red house with white edges and and a family who owned a gaggle of dogs. Jenny didn’t seem to really appreciate her luck but then she didn’t complain either.   
Delia could really see her becoming friends with Barbara and was sad when she had gotten red in the face when Tom, a boy from a London suburb, had joined them. Delia disliked how so many girls seemed to become less of themselves surrounded by boys. When Barbara all of a sudden called Tom a blowfish for calling lollipops childish Delia laughed though. She continued to giggle through his stammering defence but Barbara wouldn’t have it until he simply apologised and walked away. 

Out in the snow she’d met up with Patsy again and the three of them had giggled about the story.   
“If boys could just calm down and be themselves we’d all be a lot happier.” Barbara said after a moment.   
“I think girls should be better at that too though, stand their ground,” Delia muttered, thinking about Barbara’s rosy cheeks from earlier.   
“Girls are generally more aware though.” Patsy said with confidence. “We usually take a lot more critique and yet stand a better ground.”   
“Are you calling girls better than boys?” Barbara joked but Pats answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.   
“Yes.”   
Delia looked at her new friend with awe. Patsy was kinda striking and she couldn’t say she wasn’t impressed by the older girl.   
“Come on everyone! We’ll head into town now and then off to the museum. Stay together!” Mr buckle shouted and they all started walking towards the underground. 

Half the group had gone for a coffee before they jumped on the tram to the museum while half had disappeared into shops for some last minute shopping. Patsy really did need a warmer coat and Delia and Barbara had joined her on the hunt. Patsy shopped with efficiency and Barbara really didn’t, which meant Patsy had found and paid for a thick new coat and some heatpacks in the time Barbara was still thinking about scarves. In the end Patsy had taken control and pointed at a knitted blue one with white polka dots sewn on it, which Barbara had been fawning over for 15 minutes but seemed too insecure to buy.   
“It looks really sweet Barbara, it will suit you perfectly,” Patsy had reassured and Delia had nodded approvingly. Barbara’s face had lit up a bit and gone to the till to pay for it. 

“So much better,” Patsy mused as she put her leather jacket in the bag and put her phone, purse and cigarettes in the new coat.   
“Well, if you get cold in that then the rest of us don’t stand a chance,” Delia laughed at Patsy who was happily burying her hands in the deep pockets.   
“If I get cold in this then the universe is seriously after me,” Patsy agreed.   
The bus ride to the museum was not long but to Patsy’s surprise they were suddenly out in a snow covered landscape that looked almost like a patch of countryside in the middle of the city.   
“Where are we going exactly?” Patsy asked Phyllis who sat opposite her and Delia on the tram.   
“Skansen,” Phyllis read of her map. “It’s a sort of agricultural museum with houses and other buildings from all over Sweden, preserved like they were before the industrial revolution really kicked in.”   
“But there’s a bear on the front of that leaflet,” Barbara pointed out.   
“It’s also a kind of zoo, apparently. Not all animals will be out but we might see some.” Phyllis looked slightly disapproving of this fact. Patsy couldn’t tell if it was because the animals wouldn’t be visible or because they were there at all. 

Mr Buckle had told them they could wander the extensive museum grounds by themselves as long as they were all by the terrarium by the exit at 5pm. Delia hardly thought 3 hours would cover to get through the enormous place, but then again it was minus ten and it would be pitch black by half 4. They were told this place would be good to put in their papers about the trip once they were back home but they didn’t get more guidelines than a map for each (self-formed) group and a recommendation to try the cinnamon swirls at the bakery.   
“5pm SHARP!” Ms Crane shouted after them as they set off.   
Delia quickly forgot everything about Mr Buckle and Ms Crane as they walked through what looked like a village frozen in time. The houses were painted a rusty red and the cobbles were slippery under their feet, but there was such a special feeling about it all that Delia couldn’t stop smiling.   
“Do you guys smell what I smell??” Barbara stopped dead in her tracks. “There MUST be a bakery close by!”   
Delia laughed out loud at her new friend’s excitement.   
“Barbara it’s probably further down, can’t we go here first?” Patsy pointed to a sound that said Glasblåseriet – Glassblower.   
“But Patsy it smells so nice!” Barbara wined. She did follow the others down a very slippery slope and into the shop first though.   
Once they were in the shop, watching two people work at making the red hot glass into a series of different object Delia realised that watching Patsy was as interesting as watching the craft. The other girl seemed mesmerized and stayed put to watch more when Barbara tired of it and wandered of to where you could buy the finished products.   
“Thinking about a change in career?” Delia gently nudged Patsy’s elbow.   
“Becoming a glassblower in a museum where only school trips are the ones crazy enough to visit half the year?” She smiled a lopsided grin. “You know, Delia, I actually might.”   
Delia grinned back, but had to turn away eventually to join Barbara because she realised she couldn’t actually stop smiling at the other girl. Why did she have to be that cute? 

Patsy and Delia eventually let themselves be dragged off to follow the smell of bread and buns and soon found a small shop with staff dressed in period clothing and baskets with buns covering every available space in the cramped shop.   
Patsy enjoyed the feel of the place, but watching Barbara was something else entirely. Patsy stood with Delia in the doorway while Barbara immediately made friends with the attendant and soon had bought 2 of every sweet flavoured bun in the shop. Patsy chided herself for finding Barbara slightly silly when they’d first met, she was probably the most genuine person Patsy had ever encountered.   
“Barbara what about cardamom and vanilla twists?” She decided to join the girl in the delights of baked goods.   
“Already got 2. Keep up,” Barbara said like she was declaring something very obvious to a class of lazy students. “But have you seen the cinnamon buns?” She quickly added with a wide smile. 

“I didn’t take you for someone with a sweet tooth,” Delia grinned at Patsy.   
Patsy made to look suitably affronted. “They were two for 30 kronor. I would never walk away from a bargain like that!”   
“Fair enough,” Delia grinned and bit into her own still steaming vanilla twist. Causing Patsy to laugh as the girl moaned as she chewed. “Honestly Patsy try it!”   
Patsy considered it at least the 4th best thing she’d eaten in her life. 

They’d walked around some more shops and houses, eventually abandoning the streets for the more open paths on the hunt for animals. Patsy had at the beginning of the day wanted to stay in the school to learn more, or at least get a full grip of it before leaving, but now all thoughts of school were abandoned as Delia and Barbara squealed and ran ahead at the sight of reindeers. Delia and Barbara took a bunch of photos and started making up names for the animals, while Patsy didn’t have the heart to tell them there was a sign with the information.   
“Apparently they have wolf and Lynks but they’re so shy I’ll doubt we’ll see them.” Delia had stood to lean on the same fence as Patsy while Barbara read a sign about a petting zoo.   
“It’s nice that they don’t force the animals out I think.” Patsy smiled at the Reindeers who seemed happy to be on display.   
“Me too.” Delia rearranged her scarf around herself. “But we need to get going or I’ll freeze to the spot.   
“He-“ Patsy started but was interrupted by Barbara shouting.   
“They’ve got goats!!”   
“That’s it,” Delia took Patsy’s hand. “I need to see those, I love goats.” Delia grinned widely and pulled Patsy along by the hand she was still holding.   
Patsy was worried how it might look and why she was holding her hand and what Barbara would think. It somehow wasn’t enough for her to let go though. 

Back at the flat in the evening Delia and Patsy were happily enjoying cups of tea in their room. Amelie and Philip had gone out after coming home with Pizza for them and Delia and Patsy had had a lengthily argument about pizza toppings. Delia had found it fun to try something new and was hungry enough to think kebab pizza was a good idea, while Patsy had taken the adventure one step further and ordered a pizza of the regular menu that had pineapple, banana and yellow curry spice on it. Delia had refused to try it and Patsy had seemed to enjoy her scrunched nose so much she’d eaten the whole thing in defiance.   
Back in their room the atmosphere had calmed a bit and they were both lazily watching something on Patsy’s tablet. (Delia had started to read but abandoned her book at Patsy’s invitation to join her on her bed and watch it.)   
“Oh, I know what we need to finish the day!” Patsy scrambled off the bed and reached for her satchel. She came back triumphantly holding the other vanilla twist she’d bought at the museum bakery.   
“Patsy how can you even think about more food right now?” Delia laughed.   
“Share the last one?” Patsy seemed unphased.   
“I can’t take your last one.”   
“I’m not asking you to eat all of it, just half.” Patsy broke the bun in two and extended a piece to Delia.   
“If I can’t walk tomorrow because of the need to roll wherever I go then I’m blaming you.”   
Patsy just smiled at Delia who soon forgot everything else when she took a bite. They really were heavenly gorgeous. 

Patsy soon felt sleepy and both of them changed into their pyjamas before settling down to watch some videos on YouTube. She was about to suggest they turn the light off and properly go to bed when she looked over at Delia who had already fallen asleep on her shoulder. Patsy considered climbing over to the camp bed and let Delia sleep in the bed for the night, but she too was asleep before she got that far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes pineapple, banana and yellow curry pizza is a thing here. It's my fave!! (No shame) And the freshly baked buns at Skansen really are gorgeous. 
> 
> This got a lot longer than I planned but I'll try and get to where I want it soon!


	5. Wash it Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patsy tells Delia her history and Delia is a rock.

The rest of the week flew by and Patsy and Delia spent time both at the school in various classes and around town doing a series of activities ranging from visiting the palace to sledding in a rather treacherous hill. Patsy and Delia had both avoided the handball tournament at the school, preferring to hang out with other students who were not competing or making the most of the fika tradition. The nights had mainly been spent at home, either studying for various exams they still had to do when they got back, or watching films with Amelie and Philip.

Patsy had heard about some of the others who had been stopped at the door of a night club. She didn’t really mind what the others got up to but it was fairly amusing thinking about them trudging home in the snow, disappointed and stone cold sober. They’d been told about the shops not selling alcohol but some of the kids hadn’t believed it until they searched 6 different ones. Apparently you had to be 20 to buy a bottle of wine and you had to do it in a special shop that closed at 7pm all over the country. Patsy hadn’t bothered trying to get hold of any alcohol at all, it didn’t seem to be worth the hassle. Cigarettes were a different deal though. At 17 she was only 1 year away from buying them legally but that didn’t really help. So she’d had to get creative. She’d considered walking in, loudly talking to Delia on the phone and berating her for not picking up their kid from nursery. But that seemed like too much work and on the dramatic side. Instead she had simply scouted out a corner shop close to the underground, put her hair up and run into the shop in a mad hurry, like she was just catching the train, asked for the cigarettes in question, thrown the money on the counter and once she received the pack had just run out the shop again. Delia had been on the platform waiting for her with a mix between an annoyed and amused smile.   
“Was that really necessary? Couldn’t you just have gone without for a week?”   
“No.” Patsy had answered truthfully.   
“Asking someone?”   
“No.” Patsy had said simply, happily blowing out smoke from her nose. 

When Friday arrived Delia and the other students were escorted to the main hall by Fred (Mr Buckle had insisted on adopting the custom of only really using first names) to watch the final. Because it got her out of a very boring geography lecture by an obviously sexist teacher she didn’t complain. For the final the game was played in the light hall with hundreds of students and teachers lining the balconies of every floor to look down at the game. She was sceptical about the safety of playing a ball game on a stone floor but then again the two teams were dressed as Jedi and the Super Mario characters so she doubted the game would be dead serious.   
“I think PE should always be like this,” Barbara said matter of fact before popping a lolly in her mouth.   
“It would make it a lot more interesting,” Delia agreed. Patsy cut in though.   
“I think if I would have been allowed to dress as Rey for the fencing competitions at boarding school it would have made the win against Miss Gertrude a lot more epic!” Patsy smiled broadly.   
The game went on and Delia found herself honestly enjoying it, cheering along on the Jedi team with Patsy while Barbara jumped up and down when the princess made a goal.   
She was so caught up in the game she didn’t notice some students running behind them before they bashed into the group and she was jammed towards the railing, feeling a sharp pain over her ribs.   
“What the hell!” She turned around to yell them off.   
“Shit, förlåt!” One of the guys carrying a huge sign, presumably with some kind of cheer written on it, stumbled out.   
Delia was about to tell them to WALK away when she was distracted by Patsy laying on the floor. Laying on the floor bleeding.   
“Shit!” it was her time to shout this time as she kneeled by Patsy.   
“Ow,” Patsy moaned and put her hand to her bleeding head, making to get up.   
“Where’s the nurse’s office?” Delia asked no one in particular as Patsy stumbled to get to her feet.   
“Over there,” the same boy answered in English this time.   
Delia was about to guide Patsy to where he’d indicated when the other girl stopped dead in her tracks, looking at her bloody palm.   
“It’s alright, Pats,” Delia whispered gently but Patsy seemed not to hear her.   
“You scared of blood?” a girl from the crowd sneered at Patsy who looked at the girl with hatred in her eyes before she bolted the scene and disappeared down a corridor before anyone had time to stop her.   
“Nicely put, asshole! Her head was cut open!” she heard one of the boys tell the girl while Delia ran after Patsy. 

Patsy was furiously washing her hands in a bathroom on the top floor of a remote corridor. The water was coloured an awful pink and was stained darker again when she tried to wash the cut by her temple. The boys had run her down and then dropped their stupid sign on her head when they tumbled.   
Tears were burning her eyes but she refused to let them fall. ‘Don’t you dare cry; don’t you dare cry’ she thought angrily while the lump in her throat was growing.   
Someone opened the door and she thought she might actually pull the sink loose and throw it.   
“Pats?”   
Delia. Of course.   
“Leave me alone please!” Patsy screamed. She didn’t mean to scream but it just came out.   
Delia did what no one had done before though.   
“Okay.” Delia said and walked out the door again. Once it was shut she spoke. “If you need space that’s fine, but I just want to you to know I’m here. I won’t come in but I’m right here.”   
Patsy was too shocked to say anything. Whenever she’d lashed out before people had either told her off or tried to hug or pet her, making it all a thousand times worse.   
The water was finally clearer but there was some blood under her fingernails and she couldn’t get it out. She furiously put more soap on her hands and tried to remove it.   
It didn’t work and soon she was sobbing. ‘Get it off, get it off, GET IT OFF!!’ her head was yelling at her as she scrubbed frenetically.   
“Patsy can you please talk to me?”   
Patsy began to cry in earnest.   
“Help,” she wept against her will. She didn’t want to be weak. She didn’t want to break.   
Delia opened the door and walked up to her. Not quite close enough to touch.   
“Patsy can I help?”   
“I need to get it off, I need the blood to be gone,” Patsy cried.   
Patsy didn’t look but heard Delia come closer to have a look before reaching into her pocket for something. After a moment she produced a broken bobby pin.   
“Here.”   
Patsy hesitantly let Delia take one of her hands and start scraping under her nails with the pin. It felt both disgusting and good. After picking at both her hands Delia brought Patsy’s shaking hands under the water again and gently washed them off before reaching for a paper towel.   
Patsy’s tears were still falling when Delia reached into her satchel for the Alco gel Patsy kept with her at all times.   
“You’re okay, it’s alright,” Delia soothed while guiding her out the bathroom and into an empty classroom. “Patsy I am guessing you don’t want to go to the nurse but can I please put some tape on that wound?”   
Patsy nodded. She was too wired to talk.   
Delia opened up a small first aid kit from her bag and procured a cleaning wipe, a small compress and some surgical tape.   
“Do you always carry that with you?” Patsy asked before she had time to think.   
Delia smiled. “It’s one of the few things my mam insists on that I actually agree with.”   
Patsy let Delia tend to her head. She knew it looked a lot worse than it was, you just bled more from the head than you would think. Head and fingers.   
“Patsy you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but do you want to talk about it?”   
There was something in Delia’s voice that made Patsy crack. People often asked but usually never really wanted to know. Unless you were her father who didn’t ask at all, just assumed. But Delia sounded like she really would listen.   
Patsy’s head continued to scream at her: ‘DON’T TELL HER ANYTHING. KEEP IT INSIDE.’   
Patsy choked and started to cry again, leaning against Delia who immediately put and arm around her and held her hand.   
“I can’t handle blood,” Patsy started. “Well, other people’s is fine for some reason but not my own.” Patsy bit her lip to stop herself from talking. She hated herself for opening up. She’d known Delia for what, a week? And she was already spilling out her soul. “Not dirt either. But I suppose you’ve noticed that.” 

Delia held Patsy as she cried. The girl who had been so tough and frankly quite funny all week was now a shivering crying mess in her arms.   
“Yea, I’ve noticed.” Delia confirmed but made sure her tone was neutral.   
Patsy seemed to struggle with herself. “My mother died,” she started but it was as if the other girl had suddenly been refused air to breathe. She swallowed and continued. “My mother died and after 2 days so did my sister. We were on holiday and there was an earthquake. The building we were in was new and not properly constructed and so it collapsed on us.” Patsy stopped herself and looked at Delia with fear in her eyes. “I shouldn’t be telling you this.”   
Delia’s heart ached for Patsy. “I won’t break.” she said, squeezing Patsy’s hand.   
“It took hours until help arrived and by then my mother was dead and Connie was unconscious. I had a dislocated shoulder and some scrapes and father was almost completely fine.” Patsy looked like she wanted to throw the tables around the room. “I couldn’t wash properly in several days and all that time I was covered in the dust from from the broken building and my own blood. My mother’s as well I suppose, she shielded me and Connie when it happened.”   
For the first time Patsy turned to properly look at Delia.   
“I’m sorry,” Patsy cried and hid her face in her hands but Delia didn’t let her leave her side. Instead she held on, tucked Patsy’s head under her chin and stroked her hair softly.   
“I’m so sorry, Patsy.” Delia’s managed to keep her voice steady.   
She held Patsy for another few minutes when the older girl tried to untangle herself.   
“I shouldn’t, I’m sorry,” she said again but Delia didn’t answer that.   
“Patsy I think you need a few more moments, take them,” she said and Patsy collapsed once more against her shoulder and cried more. 

Later that night Patsy and Delia had gone to their room early, dressed in pyjamas and sipped cups of hot chocolate.   
“I am sorry I just fell apart,” Patsy said. She still felt embarrassed for how she’d just told Delia everything. Well, not everything.   
“Was this why you quit your old school?” Delia asked softly but without any hint of pity.   
“No it happened before that. And I was kicked out actually.”   
Patsy saw how Delia’s eyebrows raise in surprise.   
“I was much worse about dirt than I am now and someone emptied the grey fluff from the dryer on me as a prank. I went ballistic and fell over, splitting a knee open. The other kids laughed at my distress and I got up and almost beat the girl who’d done it to a pulp.” Patsy tried to quickly redeem herself a little, though she kinda felt that Delia wouldn’t judge. “I had never hit anyone in my life before that day and haven’t even let myself consider it since. At my current school everyone thinks I’m this bad kid and the teasing never stops, even though they’ve mostly got bored of me now. Everyone does avoid me like the plague though.”   
Patsy’s head was screaming at her again that she was oversharing but it felt so so good to finally talk about it without being given words of wisdom or a lecture of any kind.   
When she looked at Delia a few moments later she looked like she was considering saying something though.   
“Go on?” Patsy urged quietly, wondering what Delia was keeping herself from saying.   
The other girl looked truly uncomfortable for the first time since they’d met.   
“I don’t want to share just to share,” Delia bit her lip.   
“Please do,” Patsy said with an unintentional hint of desperation in her voice.   
“I hate school back home. Kids are horrible.”   
Patsy was quiet to let Delia continue.   
“I thought no one would care that I’m gay because my friends never minded. But the big centre group of kids got nose of it and now the teasing never stops. My best friend doesn’t even hug me anymore because she still cares what the others think.” Delia looked down and Patsy felt her face go hot in anger.   
“They’re idiots.”   
“I don’t mean to in anyway compare myself with you, I really don’t. I just wanted to say that I know that kids can be cruel and to maybe share a piece of myself like you did.”   
“Thank you for that, Delia.” 

Patsy felt strangely lighter but utterly exhausted by 9.30. When Delia made to climb into her camp bed she decided to protest though.   
“Delia you can sleep here with me. The bed is big enough for both of us and infinitely more comfortable.”   
“You sure?”   
“Yes, now bring your duvet and pillow and get to sleep.”   
Patsy smiled as Delia carefully climbed back into bed with Patsy, not close enough to be touching but close enough to somehow feel she was there.   
Even though she couldn’t actually keep her eyes open in took a while for her to fall asleep. But once she felt Delia relax and spread out a bit more, evidence she’d drifted off almost straight away, Patsy smiled, rolled over and then she remembered no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter did not want to be written and I am still not happy with it. But this is supposed to be writing for fun so I am just gonna put it here and move forward to do better in the future.   
> Any and all comments are welcome!


	6. Things warming up

Patsy had never shared a bed with anyone else before but quickly realised it had both its perks and its disadvantages. Just having Delia close and feeling rather safe because of the human sized wall between her and the rest of the room were definite perks. Waking up crammed to the wall because Delia was starfishing the bed was, however endearing, a disadvantage to an uninterrupted sleep. It didn’t stop her from gesturing for Delia to sleep next to her the next night as well though. 

Sunday morning, they were up early to go up north for the next part of their trip. Philip and Amelie made them pancakes for breakfast with whipped cream and jam. Patsy usually considered this a dessert but that didn’t stop her from happily tucking in, spreading jam on thin pancakes and rolling them up before devouring them one after the other. Delia got cream on her nose and everybody laughed. She had finally started drinking the strong coffee as long she could have half the cup filled with milk and still frowned at Patsy who preferred it black. The choices of hot beverages during the week had become almost a game where Patsy would gasp at Delia’s sweet choices and Delia would scrunch her nose in disgust at Patsy’s bitter ones. 

By 9am they were standing by the bus on a parking lot, saying goodbye to Philip and Amelie (two hugs each from them both), ready to start the travel up north. Barbara joined them in the cue to get on the bus.   
“Where are we actually going? I was so excited about the trip I never checked the specifics.” Barbara asked as she sat down by the window next to Delia.   
“Ramundberget,” Read Phyllis of a leaflet, who was sat next to Patsy in the seats across the aisle.   
“Ramen?” Delia asked. “As in the Japanese noodle dish?”   
“No Ramund,” Phyllis articulated. “However, Finnish, does sounds strangely like Japanese if you just listen to it without actually understanding either language.” Phyllis answered and Patsy wondered for the millionth time if there was one place in the world this woman hadn’t visited.   
“I’m sorry to burst your bubble, Miss Crane, But Ramundberget lies close to the Norwegian border, not the Finnish,” Patsy held up her phone with google maps.   
“Regardless, you have learned something new and that is never a bad thing,” Phyllis defended rather happily. Patsy could not disagree. 

They’d made a stop after a few hours on the highway to eat a packed lunch or buy lunch in a rest stop and after that most of the people on the bus had either fallen asleep or put on headphones. Barbara was snoring against the window and Patsy was reading something on her tablet. Delia had been forced to buy a new book the day before because she’d finished the brick-sized one she’d brought with her. Her, Patsy and Barbara had all gone on a day trip to Uppsala, a town just north of Stockholm and found The English Bookshop. Delia had happily been browsing along the crowded small corner bookshop, laughing at the fact that it had a Neil Gaiman shrine and trying to manoeuvre around the stacks of books. She’d expected Patsy to be bored but she had started a conversation about feminism with one of the shop attendants and soon she was being swept off in a long conversation about literature with actual strong females and in the end they’d stayed in the shop for an hour and a half. Delia had wanted to buy exactly 11 books but settled on a 500 page fantasy novel written by a female Australian author. She’d been promised gay content by another shop attendant and so the decision was made.   
Barbara had looked like she was seeing stars when they had entered a sweetshop with a wall covered in boxes of different sweets, paper bags and trowels laid out for customers to make their own mix. Barbara had bought 2 kilos. 

Delia was reading the newly bought novel when the bus came to a stop. She leaned out in the aisle to see what was going on when she saw something that made her hurriedly grab for Patsy’s hand.   
“Reindeer!!” She whispered loudly to Patsy who eagerly leaned over to see. They were on a much smaller road now and across the way were 2 reindeers walking as if nothing in the world could disturb them.   
Patsy squeezed Delia’s hand and they both smiled at the animals on the road.   
Delia had just been grabbing Patsy’s hand to get her attention but very much did not mind that Patsy had taken it in her own and continued to hold it. Besides, everyone was too busy looking out the windows to care. Once the bus started rolling again though it was as if Patsy suddenly felt scolded by it and let go. Delia tried not to mind but it became obvious Patsy hadn’t just decided to let go but was specifically avoiding her glance, quickly taking up a conversation with Barbara, looking past Delia as though she wasn’t there.   
Delia felt both confused and hurt. Patsy was often so light and funny and genuinely caring, and then it’d all flip and she be cold, closed off and snappish. Delia felt bad for being annoyed because she knew her new friend carried a firm facade but she also felt like that wasn’t an excuse. Then again this wasn’t really about anything in the past. This was about Delia realising she did have feelings for her and not really knowing what to do about it. She had come out to Patsy and this was obviously Patsy’s way of saying she didn’t like her back. Because even though she’d never said anything, Delia was 98% certain Patsy was gay too. That red lipstick and perfect eyeliner fooled no one. Okay it had fooled the 4 guys who’d hit on her in the last week but teenage boys didn’t count.   
Delia decided to just shrug off the incident and just read her book instead. She could let go of her feelings and maybe her and Patsy could be good friends even after the trip, she’d like to have more (or any) queer friends to to talk to. 

They arrived at yet another parking lot after another few hours and a sugar coma later. Patsy, being better prepared for the bitter cold this time, wrapped up warm and got off the bus and into the minus 25 night air. Where she made the mistake of gasping at the cold, causing her lungs to be in momentary shock at the cold air.   
Delia there immediately to rub her back and check she was okay.   
Patsy felt guilty for drawing her hand back earlier.   
“It feels like I have lids in my nose,” Barbara put her mittens over half her face.   
“It’s the moisture on the little hairs in your nose that’s frozen,” Delia explained.   
“It feels weird,” Barbara mumbled, looking torn between intrigue and annoyance. 

They were supposed to stay all together in a big cabin for coming week. They were 4 or 8 to every room, sleeping in bunk beds. Patsy, Delia, Barbara and Jenny all got one room already warmed up by an electric heater and though the room was rather bare all girls were happily making themselves settled in.   
“If you tell my mother this I will have you murdered but I am so glad she insisted on getting me a warmer pair of boots,” Jenny exhaled and tucked said boots to the foot of her bed.   
“My nan made me a pair of rainbow socks and it’s great to get to wear them without getting my mother’s disapproving looks,” Delia laughed.   
Patsy was impressed with how comfortable Delia seemed to be around the others, unashamedly being herself. If anyone asked her Patsy would call herself a lesbian, it was no secret, but she was impressed by how Delia seemed to not think about it at all. But then no one had ever given Patsy home made Pride socks or made her feel like they actually would care at all about something she herself felt so strongly about. She had a feeling Phyllis would tell her an ambiguous anecdote about her own past before offering Patsy tea. But when it came down to it Phyllis wasn’t her friend or relative, she was her teacher. All of this did nothing to quell the growing feelings she had for her friend which she’d decided to supress. Maybe though.. 

“Delia can I talk to you for a minute?” Patsy shuffled from foot to foot, nervously standing by the door when the others had gone to brush their teeth.   
Delia gestured for her to come in and Patsy went to sit down beside her on the bed.   
“I’m sorry about earlier,” Patsy said as clearly as she could.   
“Sorry about what?” Delia sounded like she knew what Patsy was talking about but wanted to make sure.   
“I let go of your hand and then ignored you. I am sorry.”   
Patsy looked down at her own hands, too scared to see Delia’s expression.   
“It’s alright, Pats. I was perhaps being too familiar. Honestly, we’re okay.”   
A lump formed in Patsy’s throat as her heart took a jump.   
“I wasn’t actually minding the hand holding. Perhaps the public space but not you.” Patsy was sure she was going to loose it and run away but steeled herself and looked at Delia, whose eyes were wide. She was so cute Patsy wanted to eat her. Or hold her hand forever. Suddenly she wanted everything at once and the urge to lean forward and kiss her was so strong Patsy had to steel herself.   
“Delia, it’s just.” Patsy took Delia’s hand and squeezed it gently. “We’re going home in a week and we actually live in different countries.”   
Delia lowered her voice. “With train connections.”   
“But,” Patsy took a breath. Maybe she could be brave. “it would be hard.”   
“Would seeing me once in a while be a good or a bad thing, Pats?” Delia was the one to avert her gaze this time.   
Delia had made a fair point and Patsy didn’t have to think 2 seconds for an answer.   
So she put her free hand on Delia’s cheek and kissed her. 

Patsy had only gently pressed her lips towards Delia’s. But it had been enough for Delia’s skin to suddenly be tingling and as soon as Patsy drew away Delia followed, kissing her back. Delia raised her hand to caress Patsy’s cheek and was sure she was going to fall apart at the touch of her soft skin. Their position on the bed made their activity slightly awkward but Delia couldn’t imagine anything more wonderful when Patsy teased Delia’s bottom lip between her own.   
A sound from the hall made them jump apart but this time Patsy immediately took Delia’s hand again.   
“You sure that was alright?” Patsy bit her lip and Delia was unable to do more than blush.   
“Okay good,” Patsy gave her hand a squeeze. 

They had brushed their teeth together a minute later when Barbara and Jenny got back. Glancing at each other in the mirror had caused them both to blush and laugh. Delia was thoroughly surprised at herself and at their situation. She had never fallen for someone like this before, and never this fast. Sure she’d had crushes and she had dated Adam Jones for 2 weeks before realising boys really weren’t for her. But Patsy had kissed her, and it had been glorious. She loved being around Patsy but everything had moved so fast. She’d only met her the week before. She hated being a hormonal teenager but this wasn’t just that. She genuinely cared about Patsy and enjoyed her company. It wasn’t that Patsy was available, it was that she was Patsy. And the weird thing was she knew she was more confident than Patsy about it all. She was the one who’d not even thought about the distance as a serious issue. If it worked out, the distance could be reduced when they started uni, and if it didn’t then they effectively would likely never bump into each other again. She only hoped Patsy would feel the same. 

The next few days were packed with activities both when the sun was up (for a few hours every day) and when it was dark. They were taught to build a fire in the snow, how to deal with hyperthermia and how to dress for maximum warmth. One day they were hiking out further and spent the day making a snow cave that they could have slept in if the need had presented itself. They also had first aid sessions which were Delia’s favourites. And looking at Patsy it was hers too. Delia had been worried how they’d behave after the kiss but they had just continued on with their friendship like usual. Patsy had made it clear she didn’t want the others to know and frankly Delia didn’t mind. She knew she was more forgetful and sometimes held Patsy’s hand even in view of the others and Patsy would guiltily draw her hand back. But like Patsy she didn’t want their relationship on display in front of a bumbling Mr Buckle or the rowdy boys who never stopped being annoying.   
But for a few days they were the first to wake up in the morning and then they’d start taking the breakfast out and putting on the kettles. Then Delia would sit down next to Patsy at the table or on one of the comfy armchairs in the living room and Patsy would wrap an arm around her waist. Then Delia would lean over and gently kiss Patsy good morning for as long as they had before the house woke up. In those quiet moments Delia didn’t worry about the future at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this was a very different chapter to the last one but I wanted to move the story forward. Almost done now. But the danger is not over yet! It is an adventure course after all. 
> 
> All comments are welcome!


	7. Adventure Level 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They go on a mini snowy adventure into the wilderness and Delia tries to hide a cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late! I just haven't been able to write but after a midnight writing session with a friend this was the result!

On the first day on Ramundberget they had been introduced to the Swedish team. They had seen a lot of Marcus all week as he was the one leading all their activities, Phyllis and Fred only being responsible for their housing and food had joined in on everything going on. The other part of the Swedish duo, Victoria, they’d seen less of. She had through out the week taken 4 students at the time to an over night stay further into the wilderness. Delia had looked on longingly as the first group had whizzed off on two snowmobiles up the mountains and onto the plains. When two groups had been gone and come back she was almost vibrating with excitement. But when the third group was off and it was the last day before Patsy, Barbara, Jenny and herself were due to leave with the female leader Delia got a cold.   
“Perfect.” Delia grumbled as she blew her nose for the fourth time that hour. She was 100% certain Phyllis wouldn’t let her go if she realised Delia was even the slightest bit unwell. So she went to bed early, head propped up with an extra pillow. What was almost worse than the fear of Phyllis making her stay in bed instead of going off on the snowmobiles was the fact that she had needed to refuse kissing Patsy. The older girl had walked into their room and climbed into bed with her (the others were downstairs playing board games and drinking hot chocolate) and Delia had had to explain that instead of enjoying a lovely cuddle and kissing session Patsy needed to keep her distance. Patsy immediately felt her forehead for a fever and Delia wondered if perhaps Patsy was the one to fear and not Phyllis.   
“You sure you’ll be alright? You want me to get you some Paracetamol and a hot water bottle?” Patsy worried.   
“No, I’ll be fine.” Delia really felt like it was only her nose being stupid. Maybe she was a little tired but they’d all had a snowball fight after dinner so she was bound to be. “You can go down and be with the others, I just don’t want to sneeze in front of Phyllis.”   
“Yea, that’s not going to happen,” Patsy laid down next to her. “What was that word; cwtch? If you won’t let me get you a water bottle, then the least I can do is lend you some body heat.”   
Delia smiled at Patsy for remembering the welsh term and secretly relieved she wanted to stay with her.   
“You’re not scared of getting sick?”   
“I have the immune system of Wonder Woman.”   
“I don’t think that’s what she’s most famous for, Pats.”   
“Are you going to seriously argue with me on this?”   
“No.” Delia turned to her side and wrapped Patsy’s arm around her so she was little spoon on the narrow bed.   
“You sure you’re alright?”   
“Oh my God, yes!” Delia laughed, turning around and burying herself in Patsy’s embrace.   
Patsy huffed but kissed her hair none the less, squeezed her tight. 

By noon the next day Patsy, Delia, Barbara and Jenny stood ready to go with Victoria. Patsy was still a little worried about Delia but the younger girl had practically bounced out of bed.   
“Right! Last group! You guys ready?” Victoria clapped her hands together and grinned widely.   
The four girls answered affirmative.   
“I will drive one of the scooters with two of you behind me and then I need one of you to drive the other with one passenger and some of the bags. Have anyone of you any experience in driving anything with an engine?” Victoria rapped off.   
Patsy pushed Delia forward, she knew she would give her right foot for this opportunity. “Delia could drive it.”   
Delia looked at her feet for a moment but seemed to steel herself to look at Vitoria. “I have a moped at home and have driven a quadricycle and a tractor a few times.”   
Victoria grinned at Delia. “Brilliant!” Her face darkened. “No funny adventuring though! I see just a hint of you driving recklessly and you are walking back, alright?”   
Patsy thought Victoria seemed to have said that mainly because she was supposed to, rather than in fear she’d actually have to enforce it. Delia answered seriously that she’d be very careful anyway.   
Patsy had been amused at how enthusiastic Delia was she hadn’t really thought about how fun it would be for herself. The last few days had been great but this was more like a real adventure and Patsy was buzzing when she climbed onto the snowmobile behind Delia. On the other scooter (that’s what Victoria called them) Barbara looked a little nervous but very glad to sit behind their capable leader while Jenny smiled widely at Delia. Victoria had taken Delia for a short test run first to show her how to drive it and and to make sure she knew she was doing but since they were both smiling coming back there seemed to have been no trouble. 

At first it was a bit bumpy and they had to make a lot of stops to get out from the streets and up onto the trail that would take them higher up the mountain. Delia was a very sensible driver so Patsy never feared for their safety but that didn’t stop her holding on very tight to her friend. Girlfriend?   
Her thoughts were interrupted when they entered the plains and they crossed what in summer was possibly a lake but that currently was completely covered in snow and ice. Here the other snowmobile upped its speed and Delia quickly followed, her laughter infectious and Patsy soon joined in. She could see some people on cross country skis in the distance but other than that there was very little except more mountains in the distance, the occasional half buried shrubbery and red X signs indicating where the trail went.   
Patsy felt silly for thinking it but it really did feel like a wild adventure rather than a controlled school trip. They went over a bump in the trail and Patsy took the sudden motion as an excuse to snuggle in closer behind Delia. 

Delia was having the time of her life. This was why she’d wanted the trip from the beginning! Her friends at home were according to schedule having Chemistry right now and she was driving a snowmobile on open mountain trails. She also had a girl’s arms around her waist, a girl that had kissed her yesterday morning so her toes curled. The other vehicle was up ahead and she had noticed they’d upped their speed quite a lot and was now driving just over 60km/h. Delia was very happily pulling the accelerator to keep up.   
She felt Patsy’s arms tighten around her waist as they went over a small bump and Delia’s smile would have broadened even more had it been possible. She let go with one hand for two seconds to squeeze Patsy’s arm, sharing the experience.   
Earlier, Victoria had taken one look at her knitted mittens and made her wear a borrowed pair of gloves instead. She was very glad for them now because even though she was wearing a warm coat, thermal trousers and scarf she was getting increasingly cold from the wind. However, the cold was part of the adventure and so Delia pushed forward and simply relished in the warmth Patsy was providing to her back. 

They had driven up and over a mountain pass to then descend again into a valley by the treeline. Right at the edge of the woods Delia spotted a log cabin and a bright yellow tent. They drove down to it and Delia parked next to Victoria where tracks where showing where the mobile had stood earlier that morning.   
“So everyone!” Victoria smiled at them as they all removed their helmets and gathered round. “Did the ride feel okay for you all, everyone feeling alright?”   
They all nodded.   
“Good. Now,” she bit a glove off to take a map out of her rucksack. “We’re here, and this is the trail we’ve taken.” They all got closer to see properly. “Now we’re going to have a quick rest and I’ll put the coffee on while you guys make yourselves at home. We’ll head out on a walk in half an hour so if you’re not already dressed in layers then fix that now. You need to be able to take layers off as well as put more on while we’re walking. Sweating will lead to dangerous cold later but we also don’t want dangerous cold to start with!”   
Delia was thoroughly impressed with this woman who had lived in this uninsulated cabin for the better part of a week, keeping groups of kids who’d never really experienced any of this before alive.   
“What should we bring on the walk?” Barbara asked.   
“Your rucksacks with room for a spare jumper, a bottle of water and if you brought snacks I recommend those too.” She smiled. “I will not be telling you off for eating sweets, I always carry some with me, they’re great for sudden low blood sugar or if someone gets very cold and needs the energy.”   
Delia had a bar of chocolate in her bag and was glad she would get praise rather than a telling off for bringing it. 

Patsy led the others into the cabin to put their bags down and repack for the hike.   
“There are no beds!” Jenny exclaimed rather redundantly.   
“Jenny what did you expect?” Patsy didn’t want to be short-tempered but the girl had been moaning about the lack of hairdryer all week.   
“Something to keep up from the floor at least!” Jenny cried.   
“Jenny, did you listen to Marcus? We’re sleeping on spruce branches and spray to get a layer between the mats and the ground. This is going to be the toughest sleep yet but it’s only for the one night.” Patsy tried to say with patience.   
“I’ll recon I’ll be so exhausted I’ll sleep on a log if I was asked to.” Barbara cut in and Patsy was glad for her way of deflating tension.   
Patsy decided that as the oldest she should be more chipper. “Come on, whistle a happy tune!” That didn’t sound too sarcastic right? Delia only rolled her eyes a little when she looked at her. “Me and Delia can take the corner so you can sleep in the middle and get more heat.” It looked like Victoria had her “bed” at the other corner so it made sense.   
“Pats?”   
Patsy’s stomach did a nervous summersault. “Yes, Deels?”   
“Did you just volunteer us to sleep in the coldest spot?” Delia whispered.   
“I promise I’ll hold you close if it gets too bad,” Patsy gave a sideways smile before catching herself a bit. It wasn’t entirely private after all. “Also I have extra heat packs to put in the bottom of our sleeping bags so we should be alright.”   
Delia simply shook her head and put her things down next to Patsy’s. 

The walk had been hard because of the uneven walked up paths in the snow. Delia felt close to exhausted when they sat down by some rocks sticking out of the snow. Patsy’s cheeks had gained some colour but she seemed otherwise unperturbed by the exercise and eagerly listened to Victoria about the portable cooking kit while Delia and Barbara lay down in the snow to catch their breath.   
“Don’t lay down and get cold now!” Victoria warned, but Delia felt more hot than cold.   
She dragged herself up anyway and sat down to learn about how to cook and eat out in the wild. She soon forgot her fatigue and listened intently at the leader speaking. All four of them accepted small pieces of dried reindeer heart, along with their meal made up of a root vegetable stew. Delia had been hesitant to eat it, but had decided she probably would never get the opportunity again. Besides, it sounded like it would be the best meat she could have when it came to the ethics about the animal’s life.   
The sun hung low in the sky now and Victoria made them get up and continue walking. Delia had started out in the back, talking to Barbara and Victoria about hiking holidays, but when Jenny joined them as well she decided to jog up ahead and join Patsy.   
“Hello you,” Patsy smiled at her.   
“Hello Pats.” Delia wanted to hold her hand but didn’t know if Patsy would be alright with such an open display of affection.   
“This is amazing,” Patsy exhaled, her breath creating clouds in the dropping temperature.  
Delia looked around them and for a moment she blocked out the others walking behind them. Instead she only concentrated on the dark pink sky in the distance, the mountains and the vast snow covered landscape.   
“It is.” She reached out and squeezed Patsy’s hand before immediately letting go.   
“You know, part of me going on this trip was to get away from everyone and do something alone.” Patsy looked at her before looking down on her boots, hiding a smile. “But I am glad I am sharing this with someone, with you.”   
Delia felt a lump form in her throat while both her head and heart felt clear with happiness.   
“Me too.”   
Delia and Patsy continued to walk next to each other on the path towards camp. Every so often brushing against each other or talking about this and that. All the time Delia couldn’t help but smile because Patsy was unlike any other person she’d met in her life. Complex and difficult surely but also endlessly caring, clever and lovely. Delia Busby knew was head over heels in love with a girl she’d only known a week and a half and who usually lived in a different country to her own home. But decided that instead of thinking about that she should tackle Patsy into untouched snow. 

They got back to camp by the flickering light of fire. Everyone had been given a torch and it had only heightened the feeling of adventure. Patsy had decided that she would discard any feeling of silliness and just enjoy it. And looking at the other girls (except Jenny) it was clear they were doing the same. Once back at camp they’d had a small meal made up of sandwiches made earlier that morning and some bread they cooked on sticks over the open fire, along with some marshmallows.   
However, Patsy didn’t get the nice long lovely evening of starring into a fire next to her girl because Delia had excused herself only halfway through the meal to go to bed. Patsy gave her a look of concern but Delia waved her down.   
Patsy was about to go check on her when she heard Barbara yelp from somewhere in the dark.   
“Barbara?” Victoria was immediately on her feet.   
There was no answer and the woman rushed to where the noise had come from.   
Patsy’s initial reaction to seeing both the student and leader walking back into the light was relief but the second was dread.   
“Patsy can you get the first aid kit from the tent, please?” Victoria’s voice was perfectly calm even as she held Barbara’s very bloody hand tight.   
Patsy did as she was told and got the kit. Barbara’s face was pale but calm when she got back to her. Victoria instructed Barbara to keep the pressure on her hand while she sterilised hers to clean out the wound. Patsy placed herself next to Barbara on one of the logs by the fire and laced her arm around the younger girl’s shoulders.   
“Barbara what happened?”   
“I stumbled and fell and I must have sliced my hand on a rock.”   
“Alright, you’ll be fine in a minute,” Patsy said reassuringly. “Jenny can you get my bag please?”   
Jenny passed it over, looking happy with having something to do.   
“Here, have a piece of chocolate.” Patsy unwrapped and handed over one of the mini bars she’d brought. Victoria looked up at her with approval so she guessed she was doing something right.   
“I love that it’s not just Harry Potter that gets fed chocolate when injured.” Barbara couldn’t be that bad or she wouldn’t make a joke.   
“Sweetie,” Victoria looked up at Barbara. “Your hand has got a quite deep gash in it and even though it’s clean and dressed now, you’re probably going to need a few stitches so I’ll have to drive you down again so you can get to hospital.” Victoria’s voice was still calm and measured but left no room for argument. “I can’t let the rest of you drive in the dark though so you will have to stay put and I’ll come back once I’ve dropped Barbara off.”   
“Alright, not a problem.” Patsy nodded with more certainty than she felt. She looked over at Jenny who looked nervous but like she wouldn’t say anything either. 

Ten minutes later Patsy and Jenny stood waving them off and after another few minutes the tail lights were gone.   
“I am going to check on Delia,” Jenny said suddenly. “Why don’t you clean up and then we’ll get ready for bed. There’s no point in staying up worrying, Barbara will be fine.”   
Patsy figured Jenny said it half to Patsy and half to herself but since she fully agreed with her she simply did as she’d suggested. Besides, it was one of the most sensible things Patsy had heard come out of the girl’s mouth and she would always be one to encourage good behaviour. 

“Patsy!” The panic in Jenny’s voice was clear. “I can’t wake Delia up!”   
Patsy ran. She almost pushed Jenny into the opposite wall in the process in her hurry to get to Delia.   
Kneeling down next to her Delia just looked asleep, comfy in her sleeping bag. Maybe Jenny just hadn’t tried enough; Delia was a very deep sleeper. But Patsy knew something wasn’t right. Delia always slept like a starfish or at least with an arm and a leg in some kind of off position. Now she lay slightly curled up on her side in a perfectly still position.   
“Delia?” Patsy shook her shoulder gently but to no avail. Her friend’s breath was fast and shallow, and as Patsy put her hand underneath Delia’s collar she could feel that her skin was damp and too cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclamer: I know Harry Potter is only fed chocolate when he's had a fright or a dementor encounter and so does Barbara, however she's just had her hand sliced open so no one is going to correct her. 
> 
> If you think it sounds weird to have kids sleep in an uninsulated log cabin in the middle of nowhere then you are correct. That has never stopped anyone though. I was made to camp with only tarpulins for shelter in snow and minus 10 when I was 15 so this is 100% realistic. Unfortunately the cold in this chapter is worse than minus 10.


	8. Chaos and Clashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delia is frozen and Patsy storms in to help.   
> But of course solving the immediate problem doesn't mean others won't appear.

Patsy shook Delia again. “Delia!” She shouted at the sleeping girl.   
“We need to call someone!” Jenny said.   
“The radio is over there, make the call,” Patsy barked out. “Go on, now!”   
Jenny darted for the radio while Patsy tried to wake Delia up.   
“No, leave me alone.” Delia’s voice was faint and shaking. It was the best sound Patsy had heard all day.   
Behind her she could hear Jenny make contact and tell them their situation, begging for someone to come get them.   
Patsy decided Delia couldn’t wait for that. A week ago Patsy would have had no idea what to do in this situation but now she did, and so she quickly got to work.   
She opened Delia’s sleeping bag and started to strip her of the leggings and long sleeved t-shirt she’d worn close to her body all day. She then placed Delia’s frozen feet on her own legs while she opened a second a sleeping bag and attached it to Delia’s by the matching zip.   
“Delia, you need to seriously wake up now!” Patsy shook her again.   
“Should you be doing that?” Jenny gestured to Delia’s mostly naked body.   
“Jenny does she look alright to you?” Patsy yelled at the other girl. “She needs a slow warm up and the best way is body heat, we don’t know how bad it is and she could get hurt if we put her by the fire.” Patsy started to strip herself too. “If you are not comfortable with this you can get out.”   
Patsy didn’t turn around to look whether Jenny would argue or not. She only heard her leave a few seconds later.   
Dressed in only her underwear Patsy climbed onto the mat with Delia and zipped the sleeping bags closed behind her. She pulled the other girl flush against her and held on while gently moving her hand over Delia’s back, trying not to rub her skin. Delia was cold and shaking and Patsy cursed both Delia and herself for letting her go with the stupid cold that had obviously turned into a fever. Mostly she cursed Delia for lying down without changing out of her damp clothes first to then gradually letting her body fight the loosing battle against the cold.   
“Patsy I am cold,” Delia stammered after a while.   
“I know but you’ll be alright,” Patsy concentrated on just holding on, wondering when it would be acceptable to add some heat packs to help the process. “Delia?” She had an idea. “What’s your favourite colour?”   
“Purple.” Patsy could feel Delia trying to move her arms but failing. So she moved them around herself for her.   
“Favourite breakfast food?”   
“Toast,” Delia muttered into Patsy’s neck.   
“Good. What’s the capital in Wales?”   
“Cardiff, you dafty.” Delia still shook like a leaf and seemed to have very little control of her body but she could talk and that was good.   
Patsy kept asking questions. 

After a what seemed like an eternity Jenny came back in.   
“I am sorry,” she said, voice clear now. “Should we get her to eat? Renew her energy a bit like Victoria said.”   
“We could try,” Patsy removed one arm from inside the cocoon she was sharing with Delia to reach for chocolate in her bag. A hand stopped her and she let Jenny do it.   
“Delia could eat some of of this please?” Patsy asked.   
“Don’t want to,” Delia hid her face in Patsy.   
“That was sadly not a question you could say no to,” Patsy received a piece from Jenny and fed it into Delia’s mouth. She knew she shouldn’t give Delia anything to eat or drink had the situation been more serious, but Delia had not been laying in the water of a frozen lake, she’d just been seriously chilled down with an already existing fever.   
“Patsy they’re on their way here now with a snowmobile and a sled.”   
“Good,” Patsy focused on getting Delia to eat. She was still very cold to the touch even if she was at least conscious.   
“Can I do anything else?” Jenny asked with a small voice.   
“Yes,” Patsy pulled Delia tighter towards her. “You could lay down on the other side of her so we could warm her up faster.”   
Jenny wordlessly fetched one of Victoria’s blankets and lay down on the other side of Delia, spooning her from outside the sleeping bag while covering all three of them with the blanket.   
Then she started singing. Patsy didn’t recognise the song but she didn’t care, it was good.   
“Delia, hum along.”   
Delia just did as she was told, having woken up more now but still trembling with cold. 

Patsy thought it must have been the worst two hours she’d had in a very long time when they lay there humming in the cold. She’d put her own beanie on Delia’s head so the cover of sleeping bag had to be enough for herself. After an hour when Delia had not drifted off anymore she reached for some heat packs to put along her own back, feet and shoulders; not touching Delia’s skin but making sure her own stayed warm enough to keep the temperature up. When she heard the engines of the snowmobiles get closer she thought she honestly might cry. In the beginning she hadn’t felt much of anything at all, except urgency to help. But 2 hours was a long time for contemplation and when Marcus and two Paramedics came through the door Patsy let the tears fall. 

“She’s too cold!” Patsy said redundantly to the people entering the small space.   
Jenny immediately got out the way, once the paramedics got close, to give them room.   
“Delia, help is here.” Patsy shuffled slightly so the paramedics could reach Delia. Only Delia didn’t cling like she’d expected her to; she fell onto her back, body completely limp.   
“DELIA!” Patsy shouted and in a second everything around her started spinning. 

The paramedics had rushed to their side, opened the sleeping bag to check Delia’s vitals as well as the pulse in her hands and legs. After that they’d wrapped her up and carried her out to a sled that was attached to a snowmobile. Patsy had been made to dress quickly and then been led out to the vehicles. A paramedic was riding in the sled with Delia while Patsy was forced to sit behind Markus on the second scooter. Patsy had bit back her tears now but the hour and a half behind their leader were almost worse than the hours waiting for help because this time she well and truly could do nothing. 

Patsy sat on the covers of Delia’s bed in their room. The others were all sleeping by now. Barbara had been in hospital and back and was now soundly asleep. Jenny too had just crashed as soon as they got in.   
There was a faint knock on the door. Patsy whipped her head round and was met with Phyllis’ sympathetic expression.   
“You alright, kid?” She whispered.   
Patsy shook her head, hugging her knees.   
“Come down, I’ll make you a cuppa.” The older woman just sounded gentle, no pity in her voice. Which is why Patsy felt it alright to dislodge herself from her cramped position and follow her teacher down the kitchen. 

She fiddled with the sleeve of the jumper she wore over her striped pyjamas. She hadn’t realised how cold she was until she burned her fingers on the cup Phyllis gave her.   
“Markus called from the hospital. Delia will be fine.”   
Patsy felt her eyes tear up but refused to let them fall this time. Stupid.   
“Apparently it’s quite common for the body to shut down when it feels like help is finally there. Which is what happened.”   
“Should you really tell me Delia’s medical history?”   
“Delia was herself well enough to inform Markus to tell you she was okay 15 minutes ago.”   
Patsy gasped involuntarily. “She’s okay?” Patsy didn’t like how small her voice was. This was way too exposed for her. But then it was only Phyllis here, and she had definitely seen worse.   
“Yes, kid. She’s okay.” Phyllis took a sip of her own drink, encouraging Patsy to do the same. “I’ll get you to the hospital tomorrow morning but I think she’ll be discharged first thing.”   
Patsy took a moment to digest this. Delia was fine. She would be out of hospital tomorrow morning. She’d been able to tell someone to let Patsy know she was alright.   
“Thank you, Phyllis.”   
When Patsy looked at the older woman she could see that she knew. She knew Patsy had been stupid enough to let herself fall in love. But there was no judgement or rolling of the eyes in Phyllis’ gaze, only kindness. Wow, why weren’t more adults like Phyllis Crane, Patsy thought. 

Patsy was eventually able to fall asleep. She’d thought about sleeping in Delia’s bunk but then remembered that she honestly didn’t want anyone else know how scared she’d been. And poor Barbara probably didn’t know anything had happened at all. 

Patsy was in the hospital at 7.30 the next morning. She had expected the staff to not let her in so early but once Phyllis had told them she’d been to the girl trying to save Delia the night before a kind looking nurse smiled at her and in a very broken English asked her to come along to the ward.   
The moment Patsy saw Delia in a hospital bed, colour on her cheeks, drinking a cup of tea Patsy relaxed somewhat for the first time since she’d been in front of the camp fire the night before and a million years ago.   
“Delia?”   
The younger girl’s head whipped round and as she spotted Patsy she opened her arms, waiting for a hug.   
Patsy’s first instinct was to run to her, hug her and then never let her go. But as soon as the fear went away the anger settled in.   
“Delia how the hell did you think going to bed in minus 20, wearing sweaty clothes was a good idea!?” The anger that must have hidden somewhere in all the worry was suddenly flaring up.   
“Pats?” Delia looked hurt but Patsy ignored it.   
“Delia, I had to hold your seemingly lifeless body while we waited hours for help because you hadn’t used your brains enough to realise what you were doing was dangerous!”   
“Patsy, calm down,” Phyllis suddenly warned. Patsy had forgotten she was there.   
“No she needs to know how scary that was!” Patsy bit back.   
When she turned away from Phyllis’s glare to look at Delia again the girl had locked her gaze on her lap.   
“I’m sorry, Patsy,” she whispered.   
“Sorry is not good enough!” Patsy pointedly avoided Phyllis’s gaze as she stormed out, grabbing her packet of cigarettes from her pocket. 

Delia didn’t cry until the door was closed to her room and she was left alone. She’d had to speak to her mam on the phone that morning and hearing her mother shout at her had only made her angry. Delia’s mother shouted because that’s how she coped, how it actually affected Delia seemed of little concern. But Patsy’s anger had of course been justified. Delia had been terribly foolish and Patsy had been the one who perhaps had saved her life. Delia didn’t really remember much from the night before but she was under no illusion it would have been horrible for Patsy and Jenny who’d been with her. She had expected Patsy to be happy to see her, to hug her, to stroke her hair and say how glad she was she was alright. Instead she’d stormed off and all Delia’s hope of actually, maybe, continue to be close with this girl had been brutally shattered. And it was of course her own fault. 

Delia was discharged from hospital before 9am with instructions to rest and stay warm. Her cold and cough were both worse but there was little to do about it but the usual house remedies. Delia felt like she’d been prescribed antibiotics back in Wales but the Swedish doctors had been reluctant to give her anything she could do without. She had no energy to disagree. Once back at the house she had been sent to bed as the others were all out with Fred and Markus on a hike. Delia had hoped that Patsy would be in their room waiting for her but it was empty when she arrived.   
After nearly being force fed a Full English by Ms Crane and Victoria Delia crawled into bed and slept. 

Patsy was angry. She was angry at Delia and she was angry at herself. Delia had been incredibly foolish but she had also been hurt. Patsy wasn’t making anything better by being angry but it truly had just spilled out of her. She’d been stopped by Jenny back at the house and she’d made a long speech about calling her mum and being grateful and all that jazz. Patsy knew that if she called her dad she’d only be encouraged to leave a message that would never be listened to. Which of course made her even more angry.   
When the others had gone out for the day she’d offered to take a short walk with Barbara instead of having to tag along for another full day of activities. Barbara was supposed to keep her cut clean and a day out in the woods weren’t what the doctor had prescribed. She’d thought she’d ditch Barbara as soon as they’d been out 15 minutes, but it turned out Barbara sensed Patsy’s mood and hadn’t said much. She’d told Patsy she could talk if she wanted to but otherwise it would be okay if they just walked in silence. It had been a longer walk in the end and Patsy was grateful. 

When they got in again Phyllis had told them Delia was home and probably sleeping. Victoria had encouraged them to leave her alone until she came down herself and immediately offered to play monopoly to get their minds off it while probably also be allowed to talk. Patsy had agreed at first mainly to be nice to Barbara who’d been so nice to her. She needn’t be a complete monster. Besides, she needed to talk to Delia but had a feeling she wasn’t going to be allowed near the girl before she’d shown the grown-ups she’d calmed down properly. 

Delia lay facing the wall in her bunk. It had no pattern to follow apart from chafings in the paint. She was dressed in tights and a woolly jumper and lay under the covers with a hot water bottle. Unfortunately, the bottle wasn’t warm anymore and the fluffy jumper wasn’t as good as the one she’d borrowed off Patsy a few times. She had no desire to go downstairs to reheat the water bottle and there was no way in hell she would take Patsy’s clothes.   
Quiet steps in the hall interrupted her thoughts.   
“Delia, can I come in?”   
Delia was started to hear Patsy through the door.   
“Of course.” Delia didn’t turn around. Didn’t really know how to act.   
She could hear Patsy close the door behind her before she felt the bed dip as Patsy sat down.   
“I am sorry I shouted,” Patsy’s voice was small and shaking. “I didn’t mean to get so angry.”   
Delia turned over to look at her. She looked absolutely shattered, like she was on the verge of tears.   
“I am the one who should be sorry. There is no excuse for what I did.”   
There was a pause.   
“Deels, I am very glad you’re okay.”   
The use of her nickname made Delia’s heart melt.   
“It’s all thanks to you, Pats.”   
For a moment Patsy looked hesitant and Delia was instantly frightened Patsy would walk away. Instead the older girl flicked her gaze to the spot on the bed next to Delia and so she shuffled further towards the wall so that Patsy could lie down next to her but on the covers.   
“Is this okay?” Patsy whispered.   
Delia started on an affirmative but was interrupted by a violent coughing session. Once it was over she felt exhausted, shaky and sore.   
Patsy didn’t wait for another answer. Instead she fished some cough drops out of her pocket, handed it to Delia and then shuffled closer to drape an arm around her, placing a light kiss to her now probably burning forehead. Delia relaxed again in Patsy’s loose embrace and even though most of her hurt there was still butterflies in her stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY I HAVE BEEN GONE SO LONG!   
> I ended up in hospital myself and all will to write this sort of died. I am a lot better now though but not 100% and writing have been a struggle. 
> 
> I think the next chapter will be the last and hopefully there will be some laughs in that one! All comments are HUGELY appreciated. 
> 
> Stay warm guys


	9. When we get home?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patsy and Delia do a trip assignment and get on the subject of what happens when they get home.

Delia lay in her bunk with Patsy sitting by her feet. Jenny and Barbara were both changing into swimming costumes.   
“Patsy you sure you won’t join us? When are you else ever going to get the chance to roll in snow and then warm up in a sauna?” Barbara asked matter of fact, a glint in her eye betraying her excitement.   
“I didn’t bring a swimming costume.”   
“I’m sure you could just jump out naked, I heard Victoria talking earlier and I can assure you you wouldn’t go against any Swedish customs by jumping nude,” Jenny joked.   
Delia tried not to laugh at Jenny’s horror when Patsy made a face, suggesting she might actually consider it. Although Patsy evidently also saw Jenny’s reaction.   
“Dear Lord, not a chance!” She exclaimed. “Go have fun! I am making me and Delia hot chocolates with whipped cream so we shan’t suffer.”   
Delia grinned at this. Although she hoped Patsy really wasn’t doing this for her. Delia had been disappointed about not rolling in snow and then toasting in a sauna and really hoped Patsy wasn’t missing out because of her. Patsy had jumped at every other new thing thrown their way she she’d been surprised when the older girl had said she wasn’t going.   
“Okay that does sound nice too. Save some for me!” Barbara smiled and followed Jenny out the door.   
Delia reached for Patsy’s hand. “You sure you aren’t going because of me?”   
Patsy looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. “Yes, I’m sure.”   
“Because I really don’t mind. I am sure I’ll get another chance at some point in life.”   
“I promise you that I wouldn’t have liked going even if you’d been healthy.”   
Delia looked slightly offended causing Patsy to look up at the ceiling and bite her lip in annoyance.   
“What I am trying to say is that I don’t like small spaces. And small, hot, damp spaces filled with people is not my idea of fun,” Patsy finished, biting her lip again.   
Delia was sad to hear that Patsy had yet another thing that made her so fundamentally uncomfortable. Especially as she knew Patsy had loved to try everything this trip had thrown at her.   
“That’s understandable, Patsy.” Delia hated that her chest chose this moment to erupt into coughs. It definitely broke the mood of her being supportive because Patsy was instantly reaching in her pocket for another cough drop.   
“I’m sorry,” Delia said through a vibrating chest that just itched to continue coughing.   
“Would a cold drink be better than a warm one?” Patsy moved over she she could rub Delia’s back.   
“Maybe,” Delia answered apologetically.   
Patsy nodded and walked out. Delia hoped their conversation about the sauna hadn’t brought up too many memories for Patsy, that she just needed a moment. She didn’t know yet and couldn’t tell. All she could do was not to crowd her but still offer support. Whatever that was. 

Patsy went down to the kitchen and on her way caught the last stragglers on their way out.   
“You alright, Patsy?” a dressing gown dressed Phyllis asked.   
“Fine. Are you going?” Patsy couldn’t help both raising an eyebrow and chuckling.   
“A sauna bath has many health benefits I’ll tell you!” Phyllis laughed at Patsy’s expression. “And Victoria has showed me a different, smaller sauna a little further afield that not only has a shower block but also an ice-container for beer.” Phyllis seemed to suddenly remind herself. “It’s tradition apparently.”   
“Mm mm,” Patsy said and started walking to the kitchen, her eyes only leaving Phyllis’s at the last possible second. She doubted she could behave like this at school but she felt like even if Patsy decided to tell her off that would be okay. An angry Phyllis Crane in a swimming costume would be an interesting, if possibly damaging, sight.   
“Don’t forget your assignment!” Phyllis shouted after her. As if making sure she got the last word. Patsy shook her head and poured some cold blueberry soup for Delia and heated some up for herself. (She’d make them both something sweeter once the house was completely empty.) The assignment Phyllis had spoken of was something the others had done that morning for breakfast, when Patsy had been in hospital with Delia. They were supposed to list things that were different in Sweden as to Britain and a few things that were similar. Patsy’s mental list so far was mainly containing food. 

When she got back to their room it was dark, the only lights being the top bunk’s bedside lamp and Barbara’s battery-driven fairy lights that Delia had hung around her bed.   
“Very cosy,” Patsy smiled.   
“That’s the plan! If I can’t roll in snow I will at least have atmospheric lighting.” Delia made room for Patsy on the bed and Patsy carefully sat down, still the two cups in her hands.   
“What atmosphere is that, Deels?” She couldn’t help but tease as she handed the cold cup over.   
Delia blushed.   
“Assignment?” Patsy decided to save her by reaching over to take up a notepad from the bedside table. “I love it,” she added as a reassurance. 

Delia put down her pen a few minutes later and considered her list.   
“Am I really weird for kinda wanting to write an essay on this?” she asked.   
Patsy gave her a look before biting her lip. Delia thought she would make fun of her but instead Patsy pulled a second sheet of paper from under her notepad with a good two-thirds of a page worth of text.  
“Have I said that I like you?” Delia couldn’t help herself say as she giggled.   
“Yea, but feel free to repeat.” Patsy gave her a nudge. “I like you too.”   
“So what does your list say?” Delia sat back and took a sip of her cooled down blueberry soup.   
“I haven’t really been able to focus on what’s the same yet. But on my different list I have: Banana and curry pizza, blueberry soup,” she emphasized the word by taking a sip of her own fruity drink. “Salad with every meal, no vinegar on the chips, snow, wildlife, nudity.” Delia was impressed she managed to keep a straight face while saying that. “Porridge with salt, no school uniforms, addressing everyone with their first name,” Patsy finished with a deep breath. “I feel like I have mainly eaten this whole week,” she laughed.   
“Very impressive,” Delia grinned before reading off her own list. “Snow, everyone knows how to walk on ice without falling.” Delia had seriously felt like Bambi as soon as there had been an ice-patch anywhere while all the natives just walked on like normal. “Moose in the wild, wolfs, medical care is not completely free but requires a small fee for each visit.”   
Patsy raised her eyebrows in surprise.   
“Mine was covered by insurance so no worries,” Delia answered quickly before continuing. “Better insulated houses, salad with every meal, no one seems to eat white bread, ever, loads of sauce with every meal, no school uniforms and fewer gender segregations.” She put her list down on her lap. “I still can’t stop smiling at Amelie’s outrage when I told her about chip butties. To her the idea to have both chips and bread together was similar to that of kicking dogs.”   
Patsy laughed. “Can we please have fish and chips when we get back? I really miss vinegar! And I could show you this little place in London where they have the BEST fish cakes and absolutely no salad in sight apart from maybe some peas.”   
Something in Delia’s chest flipped at Patsy’s last statement and Patsy seemed to catch herself too.   
“I mean. If you want that. You obviously don’t have to.” Patsy looked down in her lap, cheeks coloured.   
Delia’s heart seemed to battle with the fluttering feeling in her chest for room.   
“I would like that, Patsy.” She felt Patsy take her hand. She took a shaky breath for courage. “Patsy I would very much like to continue talking to you when we get back, maybe even do some old fashioned writing to you. I would like to keep this,” she gestured between them. “I doubt my mam will let me out of her sight for a while but as soon as I am allowed I would like to maybe come visit and-“ she interrupted herself, not wanting to be too forward. But Patsy looked at her and she had a feeling it would be okay. “Maybe you could come visit me in Tenby. It’s not too expensive by coach.” 

Patsy felt like the world had suddenly become a lot smaller, like it mainly consisted of her and this girl who was holding her hand. Delia had said she wanted to see her. Patsy hadn’t meant to bring it up, she’d been planning to ignore that bit about their relationship for as long as humanly possible. But Delia had said she wanted to see her, she’d even invited her to Wales to come visit. All at once Patsy felt ten times lighter. They would keep the connection. But what if..?   
“Delia it would be hard long distance. Are you sure you want to not just be friends?”   
Patsy regretted her word immediately. She didn’t want to be friends with this girl. She wanted to kiss her stupid.   
“Yes,” Delia interrupted her train of thought. “I want to be with you, Pats.”   
Patsy looked at her feet for a minute before looking up at Delia. “Okay.”   
The smile she got from the younger girl was so full of happiness and understanding that Patsy was helpless in her idea of keeping up a façade. She couldn’t not mirror it.   
“Hot chocolate and Netflix? I got access to Phyllis’s account for the evening.”   
Delia answered by wrapping her arms around her in a hug. Yes please.”   
Patsy was suddenly put at arms length and Delia’s expression had totally changed to that of complete outrage.   
“Patsy! For our lists! WE FORGOT FIKA!!” The younger girl shouted. “Can you check if there are any chocolate balls left?” 

Delia was well enough to come along for a morning walk on the last day, where she and Patsy got to hear all about the sauna from Barbara.   
“It was sooooo hot! But kinda fun too. I think the idea of how cold it would be to roll in snow was worse than actually rolling in snow. Although Alec of course overdid it and actually burned himself on the heater thing when we got back in.” Barbara rambled. “So what did you two do?”   
“We watched Once Upon a Time on Netflix and Patsy nearly cried over how bad it is,” Delia smiled and Patsy couldn’t not defend herself.   
“Well it is atrocious, Delia. The premise is fun but all those men who fight for honour and glory just makes me gag.”   
“We had fun anyway though, even if that mostly meant yelling at the screen over everything that was stupid.” 

When they got back inside the whole house smelled of pancakes and all three girls quickly shuffled into the kitchen.   
“No one is having food before their bags stand ready in the hall!” Phyllis shouted while Victoria and Markus whistled by the stove.   
Delia, Patsy and Barbara had everything ready so they quickly sat down. At the huge table.   
“I love pancakes!!” Barbara exclaimed happily only to be interrupted by Markus.   
“Sorry girls, we’re making Raggmunk!” He looked very happy about this and Delia tried to catch a glance at the frying pans.   
“It’s a really traditional meal!” Victoria explained. “It’s like pancakes but with grated potatoes in the mix and instead of a sweet jam on top we prefer to serve it with the more savoury option of lingonberry jam.”   
Delia felt her face go into a sceptical expression and from the sound coming from Barbara she had slumped down in her chair with disappointment. When she turned to look at Patsy, however, her girlfriend looked like Christmas come early.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this is so late. I tried to write this and just failed again and again. I haven't fiddled with this much because I just want it up! There is one more chapter coming but I think that's it! 
> 
> I really hope you who read this liked it well enough ^^ Any and all comments makes me really happy!


	10. Wales

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They leave Sweden and Patsy goes to visit Delia in Wales.

Patsy hugged Delia for a long time when they said goodbye at the airport. Delia’s aunt had gone to put her case in the car and Patsy was headed to the train, so their goodbye had to be more public than she would have liked.   
“Write to me,” Delia said, readjusting the lapels on Patsy’s leather jacket.   
“I will,” she answered, trying to put on a brave face. But when Delia’s hands retreated from the contact Patsy wasn’t able to stand it so she simply followed in the movement, pulling Delia to her and kissing her.   
Wolf-whistles from some of the lingering boys made Patsy pull back but Delia immediately dragged her back in.   
“I’ll call you tomorrow alright,” Delia told Patsy with a last peck on the lips and one more hug before shouldering her bag and walking out to the car park.   
Patsy had never thought hear heart could glow with happiness and break at the same time. 

At home Patsy was greeted by a note on the kitchen table: ‘Welcome home, Patience. Working late but please order pizza if you want to. –Dad’ There was a 20 pound note with the message. Patsy shouldn’t have hoped for anything else.   
All she wanted was to go to bed but it was only 3pm so she chose to deal with her luggage, clean her room, and the bathroom, and then she chain-smoked on the balcony, not really knowing what to feel.   
When she woke up the next morning her dad was actually home, sitting by the table reading through some papers. She wandered over in her Pyjamas, thinking something must be up for him to be there.   
“Patsy!” He greeted and actually smiled. “I trust your trip was successful.”   
“It was, yes.” Patsy sat down opposite her dad.   
“Excellent.” He put his paper away. “I have some news for you.”   
A small part of Patsy had hoped he would ask her about the trip instead of simply stating it had been pleasant.   
“When you start university this September I’ve decided that since you won’t live here no longer and will be a legal adult I thought I might move away too.” He sipped his coffee without looking at her. “I want to be closer to the business and so I’ve decided to move closer to it, there is nothing really keeping me here and Hong Kong does have a more agreeable climate.”   
Patsy was ready to scream. But then her father did finally look at her and she suddenly felt without word.   
“You are welcome to visit of course, whenever you like. But it will be a new chapter for both of us.”   
Patsy fought tears. Until she was 18 he was legally responsible for her. It now looked like he wasn’t going to stick around for a minute longer than necessary.   
Patsy bit her lip and nodded.   
“You’re not upset Patsy, surely?”   
“No,” Patsy said, berating herself for sounding so small.   
She had planned to tell him about Delia. If she was going to come and stay her father might want to take an interest. But now she felt fundamentally cut off. That he wanted to move she could understand but how he could be so cold about leaving her behind still hurt. So she decided to not give Delia to him. She didn’t want to share her. And from the looks of things he wouldn’t care. 

Delia had felt like the end of the trip had been a bit anticlimactic. All of a sudden she’d said goodbye to the group and her aunt had taken her bag. But then Patsy had kissed her and suddenly the end of the trip was covered in sparks.   
Her aunt had driven her home all the way to Tenby and Delia had been hugged and kissed by both parents. Blod had even been a good pacifier when Delia’s mum had started talking about suing the school for putting her in a dangerous situation leading to hospitalisation. She had simply allowed her to vent before cutting her off and reminding her that Delia’s time in hospital had mostly been for reassurances and that it had meant she hadn’t been part of skinny dipping in the snow followed by a warm up in a gender-mixed sauna. Before Delia’s mum had had the chance to start up again her dad had interrupted the situation by hugging Delia close again and declaring they should all have a curry take-out in celebration to Delia being home.   
“Mum, would it be alright if I go to London to see a friend in a few weeks?”   
“Not a chance, Cariad. You’ve been very ill and I won’t have you in school for the rest of the week! There is no way you’ll be going anywhere anytime soon.”   
Delia had expected this. But she thought that If she suggested Patsy come to Wales first, that would definitely have been a no too. Now there was a chance.   
“Can she come here instead?”   
“That sound like a very sensible idea, doesn’t it?” Blod cut in, having already heard about Patsy in the car.   
“If her parents don’t mind then maybe.”   
Delia didn’t argue any more after that, sensing that a maybe was as good as she was going to get at the moment. 

 

It was three weeks before Delia’s mother relented, on her husband’s insistence, and Delia could go to pick Patsy up from the station with her Moped.   
Her stomach definitely flipped when she saw Patsy standing on the platform smoking a cigarette. The weather had turned and it looked to be a sunny weekend for once and Patsy was once again dressed in her leather jacket.   
“Patsy!”   
Patsy’s eyes met hers and Delia thought for a moment about trying to stay cool but quickly discarded that idea when Patsy smiled at her. Delia ran up to the other girl and threw her arms around her in delight. “I missed you,” she said while burying her head under Patsy’s chin.   
“I missed you too.” Patsy’s voice was low but her grip was vicelike and showed no intention of loosening anytime soon.   
After what must have been a full minute Delia released her girlfriend and was startled by the tears in the taller girl’s eyes.   
“Why these?” she asked, indicating to the tears by gently wiping them away with her thumbs.   
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Patsy shrugged. “I’ve just missed you I think. And I’m very glad to be here!”   
Delia searched Patsy’s face but couldn’t tell if there was more too it than that. She’d just have to find out.   
“I’m sorry but mum only let me pick you up by myself with the condition I drive you straight back so that she can feed you dinner!” Delia released Patsy’s face and took her hand instead and squeezed it.   
“Lead the way,” Patsy smiled and shouldered her weekend bag.   
Having Patsy pressed tightly behind her as she drove up the familiar streets Delia decided must be one of the most wonderful feelings in the world, apart from being on a snowmobile with the same girl. 

Meeting Mrs Busby had been almost as fun as Patsy had imagined it. The woman had been polite but constantly finding fault in everything and everyone and Patsy had fought with herself not to roll her eyes. Mr Busby on the other hand had been a sweet man who obviously very much loved his family and if Patsy hadn’t felt so warmly welcomed she might even have been jealous.   
After dinner the two girls had managed to be excused and Patsy had been introduced to Delia’s room. It was a small room filled almost entirely of books and old Hollywood posters, the pale blue walls only visible near the ceiling where Delia had evidently been too short to reach. It somehow managed to not feel at all chaotic and messy though; her books were carefully arranged and all her clothes seemed to be in either the wardrobe or the laundry basket. Patsy loved it.   
Next to Delia’s single bed in the corner (fairy lights hanging over the bedpost) stood a camp bed already made and ready with a towel at the bottom. Patsy sat down on it.   
“I assume your mother doesn’t suspect because she put me in here and not in the living room,” Patsy said leaning back onto her hands.   
Delia narrowed her eyes before answering: “Actually I put this up this morning before school so she would only be making a fuss if she decided you shouldn’t be here.”   
Patsy’s stomach flipped not altogether pleasantly.   
“But no, she doesn’t suspect. According to her you’re just a friend. Although if you don’t hide that smoking habit of yours she’ll go red! Her only daughter can’t possibly hang out with the wrong crowd.”   
Patsy couldn’t help smirk at that and take out a cigarette from her pack and place it in her mouth provocatively. When Delia laughed it was like her insides were made of pink fluffy clouds and she instantly broke the façade and joined in the giggling.   
Then Delia’s lips were on hers and everything else stopped.   
They’d started hurriedly but quickly calmed down and just enjoyed each other after 3 weeks apart. Patsy thought she would spontaneously combust at the feeling of Delia’s hands in her hair and the tingling of her fingers against Delia’s waist and lower back. When Delia slipped her tongue in her mouth Patsy couldn’t help but pull her closer until Delia was practically sitting in her lap on the camp bed.   
One big squeak from the contraption made them aware of their surroundings again and Patsy pulled away.   
“I don’t fancy being put on a night train to London so maybe she should move” Patsy hadn’t meant to sound so suggestive. This was definitely not the time nor the place for that particular act. Or talk about it either for that matter, so she quickly shrugged and turned away to get her bag.   
“You got me a present?” Delia exclaimed when Patsy placed a parcel in her lap.   
Patsy chose to nod. Not sure what Delia would think.   
She needn’t have worried because when Delia opened it she instantly thanked Patsy with a kiss to the cheek.   
“Thanks Pats, I love it,” Delia’s eyes didn’t leave the writing kit with paper and envelopes. “I actually have something for you too.” Delia got of the bed to reach for something in the bookcase and came back with a bigger envelope with string around it.   
“You didn’t have to,” Patsy shifted, suddenly nervous again.   
“It really wasn’t as thoughtful as this,” she gestured to the letters. “But I got some for me so I thought I’d get you some too.”   
Patsy opened the envelope and instantly smiled widely. There were a bunch of printed pictures in a mix of sizes and some in black and white. All from the trip and mostly what seemed to be pictures of her and Delia taken from Barbara’s phone as well as Delia’s. There was a selfie of them eating pizza and Delia scrunching her nose while Patsy had her mouth full. One where they stood next to each other at the zoo looking at the reindeers. A few where they were doing various activities in the snow up north.   
“These are brilliant, Delia, thank you!” Patsy turned to look at Delia who was biting her lip. “I don’t have a lot of stuff on my walls and these are definitely going up!”   
“I thought it’d be fun with some printed ones and not just have it all on mobile. What if you loose it!”   
“I whole-heartedly agree.” 

Delia had managed to get her dad to drive them to a hiking trail a little way off from town by the sea. It hadn’t really been difficult to persuade him to drive, more to persuade him not to come too. In the end her mam had said she hadn’t made enough lunch for all of them so he’d have to leave them too it. Delia was too happy her mum was more consumed with the comfort of their guest than the hints at who said guest actually was to her daughter. So she’d kissed her mum thanks and grabbed patsy by the arm to get to the car before anyone could change their mind. 

It was a bit windy but that just meant that they only had to walk a short distance before all other noise was blown astray. Following the path through some vegetation they soon got out on the grasslands on top of the cliffs by the sea.   
“Delia this is beautiful!” Patsy exclaimed when she looked out to sea and along the coastline.   
Delia answered by squeezing Patsy’s hand.   
“Thank you for bringing me here,” Patsy smiled at her. “I really needed a break.”   
“Any particular reason?”   
“Eum..”   
“Patsy?” Delia felt worry settle in her stomach.   
“It’s fine. It’s just been a bit rough at school. Phyllis is doing what she can but the kids aren’t exactly warming up to me after snatching a spot on the trip when I was the newest kid in school.”   
“Unfeeling bastards,” Delia stated with feeling.   
“You know, they are.” Patsy kept hold of Delia’s hand as they walked on. “And dad wants to move to Hong Kong.”   
“What?!” Delia felt like the statement had forced all air out of her lungs and she froze to the spot.   
“He wants to be closer to his business. My feelings on the whole matter seems vastly unimportant.” Patsy kicked a rock before seeming to set her shoulders straight again.   
“When?” Delia heard herself whisper.   
“August I think. He’s not made his final arrangements yet,” Patsy said with steel in her voice.   
‘This was it,’ Delia thought.   
“Deels why are you crying?”   
Delia hadn’t realised the tears had started to fall. “I’m sorry!” She couldn’t act like this. It was Patsy who once again was being shipped off, not her. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t see that one coming.” She took a steadying breath. “I’ll miss you.”   
Patsy stopped and whipped around to face her.   
“Delia I am NOT going to Hong Kong!” She sounded aghast.   
“But?”   
“Delia he is going because I am starting university and he doesn’t feel he has to stick around when I’m over 18.” Patsy put her hand on Delia’s now burning cheek. “I’m sorry I wasn’t clear. But come on Deels, I am not going anywhere.”   
Delia absorbed Patsy’s soft voice like a sponge before she dropped the basket to throw her hands around her.   
“I’m sorry, Pats. Your dad sounds crap.”   
Delia felt Patsy’s arms tighten around her.   
“I am just really happy to be here and see you, Deels.”   
Delia dared looking up at her and felt her stomach flutter. A smiling Patience Mount was not a bad sight.   
“I’m incredibly happy you’re here Pats,” she managed after a moment, meaning it with every fibre of her being.   
She looked around to see if anyone would see them and immediately grabbed Patsy by the hand and started running.   
“Delia, what??”   
“My former best friend’s parents. Run!”   
They ran the rest of the bath before they started the descent to get to the beach. 

Once they stopped Patsy bent over to rest her hands on her knees, trying to get her breath back.   
“Was that really necessary?” she huffed. When she didn’t get a response she looked over at Delia who was holding her hand over her mouth. Giggling.   
“Delia!”   
Delia started to full on laugh now.   
“I’m sorry, Pats. There were just a lot of emotions there and running away from scary parents were a lot more exciting that it probably should have been!”   
“You didn’t think it would look more suspicious to run away?” Patsy arched her brow but Delia just continued laughing.   
“Nope. I think I could have been strolling with the vicar and they’d have found fault. Now I just hope they didn’t recognise me.”   
Patsy shrugged. “Just give me a fair bit of warning next time! I would have worn my hair differently!”   
“No you look beautiful!”   
Delia seemed to not have realised what she was saying until after it was done and Patsy wished she could take compliments like that well. However, that was not the case.   
At her blushes Delia seemed to gather herself. “Come on, I know a spot where we can have our picnic.”   
Patsy was helpless. She would follow that girl to the moon. 

They spread their blanket out in some high grass that shielded from the wind if they lay down. Causing them to lay down next to each other on the plaid blanket, watching the clouds and feeling the sun warm their faces.   
“This is something I want to do more,” Patsy said after a while and Delia gently searched for her hand. “On normal weekends I would just study or sit and drink coffee in cafés.” She looked at Delia. “This is way better.”   
Delia felt the smile split her cheeks.   
“You’re welcome anytime. I do want to have those London chips you promised me though!”   
“That can definitely be arranged.”   
Delia let the feelings of happiness fill her up as she basked in the sunshine. Patsy was here. She had shown up when she said she would. For a second she thought about her friends at school. How they had started to not be there as much. How they sometimes excluded her when she knew they were meeting up. For now, she couldn’t do much about it. And in a year she would start university. She’d make new friends. And maybe, just maybe, Patsy would still be around then. She could hear Patsy’s steady breathing next to her, she had a feeling she would be.   
Delia lay and let the sun warm her up a bit more. They could probably eat if they wanted to. But it could wait a while longer. Something else couldn’t. 

Patsy felt Delia shift next to her and lean her upper torso on Patsy’s.   
“Hello, sweetie,” Patsy whispered happily.   
Delia’s eyes glittered as she bent down and lightly pressed her lips to Patsy’s.   
Patsy was lost. Completely. Delia’s hands were in her hair, gently massaging her scalp while her lips, tongue and teeth were nipping, sucking and biting at Patsy’s lips. Patsy could only respond and when she found her hands again they were on Delia’s hips, encouraging her to crawl closer.   
Both girls had been wearing thick scarves and woolly jumpers under thin jackets but the scarves were quickly discarded for better access to each other’s necks.   
Small explosions were going off in Patsy’s body at the same time as she felt perfectly safe and in exactly the right place. She let her hands wander up Delia’s back until her arms were hugging the younger girl’s shoulders close.   
When they eventually paused for breath Delia grinned and rested her forehead against Patsy’s. And then Patsy’s stomach growled loudly.   
“Lunch?” Delia giggled.   
Patsy narrowed her eyes and flipped Delia off her so she nearly tumbled off the blanket.   
“Hey! I have welsh cakes and Bara brith in the basket! If you don’t behave you’ll get neither!”   
Patsy immediately sat up straight.   
“What now?” She asked with delighted interest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was late as always but a bit longer too! There are a few things I haven't been able to cram in as this got a lot longer than I planned anyway. There will be an epilogue that is half-way done so hopefully that will be up and done soon!


	11. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patsy Delia are at university together (a hear apart) and stuff happens surrounding hair dye.

Delia:   
Patsy can I stay at yours tonight? 

Delia:   
They’re having a party in my block and I have a 9am lecture. 

Patsy:   
Here I thought you were trying to be romantic! 

Patsy:   
Of course, Deels. I have to be in the library until late but Trixie and Cynthia are dying Chummy’s hair tonight so I think you can just walk in. 

Delia:   
Please say they’re making it blue? 

Patsy:   
Sadly not. Just a more chestnut shade of Brown apparently. 

Delia:   
See you later then! xx 

Patsy thinks about it but stops herself from sending a gif of a happy puppy. She’s not reached that level of silliness yet. Even if Trixie would disagree after calling her and Delia “sickly cute” when she’d caught them sat on the sofa one night in matching rainbow socks and making out to Imagine Me & You. 

Patsy:   
Can’t wait xx 

Once she finally got home there was music and the sound of four sets of giggles coming from the kitchen. It was only 9.30 so she’d made it home in OK time in the end.   
“Patsy!” Trixie exclaimed in glee at Patsy’s entrance. “Look how great Chummy look!”   
“Patsy if I look like a complete disaster you have to tell me!” The older student cried.   
“Don’t worry, Chummy, you look lovely,” Patsy smiled. If it had been anyone else, she’d made a sarcastic remark but she knew Chummy was uncomfortable as it was so decided against it. “Really!” she added when Chummy still looked questioning.   
“These two have been no help! They’re too bally nice!” Chummy indicated towards Delia and Cynthia who were sat at the table sharing a plate of toast.   
“I have no idea where you pick up these expressions, Chummy! And I’ll get you a mirror, one sec.” Trixie squeezed her arm gently. Trixie was the perfect bubbly blonde on the surface but her dedication in class and endless kindness told a much deeper story. Patsy and Trixie had quickly become firm friends in first year.   
Patsy sat down next to Delia, stealing a piece of toast. Delia didn’t seem to mind. She did it too often herself to complain.   
“Did you get through the chapter you needed?” Cynthia asked Patsy.   
“Yes, I think so. Will have to see but I should be alright. How about you? Delivered any babies today?”   
“I did actually!” Cynthia was beaming. “Beautiful little boy. I definitely feel like I’ve chosen the right path!”   
“Good for you!” Patsy smiled widely. She knew Cynthia had been anxious at the start of her Midwifery training but seemed to be taking to it more and more.   
They chatted for a bit longer while Trixie fussed with Chummy’s hair, Delia leaning on Patsy’s shoulder and holding her hand.   
“Now!” Trixie made Chummy turn to face the group. “Doesn’t she look nice??”   
Chummy really did.   
“Trixie?” Patsy gathered some courage. “Would you consider helping me with mine next weekend?”   
Trixie’s jaw dropped. “You’re letting me dye YOUR hair?”   
“I feel like a change is needed and I’m thinking a more vibrant red than the strawberry blonde I have now.”   
Patsy felt Delia shift beside her.   
“Really Pats?”   
“Yes, I think it would look okay. What do you think?”   
Delia smiled warmly but it was Trixie who answered first.   
“Yes!” 

Delia crawled into Patsy’s bed a while later.   
“I think you’ll look nice as a redhead,” she whispered.   
Patsy dropped her make-up wipe in the bin and joined Delia under the duvet.   
“I will eventually have to look serious for work so I might as well branch out now when I can.”   
“Will you at least consider blue?” Delia laughed quietly but quickly stopped when she saw ice in Patsy’s eyes.   
“Under no circumstances.”   
Delia huffed theatrically and Patsy quickly dropped her stony face to kiss Delia softly. It was ridiculous really how Patsy still made Delia’s toes curl 2 years after they’d first kissed.   
“I love you,” Delia whispered between light kisses.   
“I love you,” Patsy answered, wrapping an arm around Delia as she snuggled in tight. 

It hadn’t always been this easy. Patsy had questioned Delia’s wish to start a nursing course, claiming she was smart enough for medicine so she should do it. Delia had been hurt by the remark and ignored Patsy for a week after. In the end Patsy had put herself on a train to Tenby and let Delia explain how she wanted to be as close to the problem as possible to better treat it. Nurses were closer to the patients than doctors. And also that she was still considered becoming a paramedic and how nursing was the best start for that. Patsy had looked ashamed before helping her fill out her applications.   
Delia had acted stupid too of course. She’d once begged and begged Patsy to go to a party with her and Patsy had ended up with a panic attack because she simply couldn’t cope. After that Delia had never pushed again and learned even more how much of Patsy’s exterior was a façade. She’d learned that just because she’d been let in Patsy wasn’t always ready to let others in too.   
They’d found their feet though, eventually, and had stood tall. 

Patsy had been fussing with her hair all morning. Trixie had dyed it the night before but Delia hadn’t seen it yet because she’d been home in Tenby for the weekend. They were meeting up later in the evening to have a fika (they’d firmly adopted the Swedish custom of coffee and cake) and Patsy wanted to surprise Delia with the new look. 

Patsy:   
See you tonight right? 

Delia:   
YESSSSSSSS 

Patsy:   
Did you miss me ;) 

Delia:   
Maybe. 

Patsy smiled at her phone before putting it in her pocket. 

Delia was so ready to come home to Patsy again. That really was how she thought about it. Patsy had become her home. Which was sort of ridiculous for a soon to be 19-year-old to feel but she did. It had been nice to see her family but 1 weekend was enough, Patsy on the other hand she could see everyday.   
She just had enough time to go home, shower and change before she had to take her bike down to town again to meet her girlfriend.   
As she rounded the corner and jumped off her bike she caught her breath.   
“Patsy, that is just not playing fair,” Delia said once she caught her voice enough to do so.   
Patsy whipped her head around to face her from where she stood leaning against the wall. “Hello, Deels!” Patsy’s face broke into a grin.   
Delia suddenly felt very cutesy in her yellow dress, black tights and denim jacket. Patsy looked like some kind of God in her leather jacket, red lipstick and quirky smile as she stood leaning against the wall. With that hair.   
“You like it?” the nerves in Patsy’s voice betrayed her and the God was gone and before her stood her adorable girl.   
“Mm, yes.” Delia walked up to her and immediately pulled her in for a kiss. “No words, Patsy Mount.” 

Patsy only truly felt herself in two places; in class, where she could fill her hungry brain with information, and in the presence of Delia Busby. Kissing Delia in the twilight outside the café was as glorious as all the other times they’d kissed and she could never get enough.   
“Should we go inside?” Patsy asked, lips not really leaving Delia’s.   
“One more minute,” Delia answered and carefully wound a lock Patsy’s her newly dyed hair in her hand.   
10 minutes later they sat inside the café, sipping their coffees and sharing a slice of lemon drizzle cake.   
“We should go back to Sweden next year, Pats. A weekend in Stockholm or maybe a skiing trip up north, I’d like to learn.”   
“You sure your mother would let you?” Patsy couldn’t help herself. She quickly took another piece of cake to hide her face though when she saw Delia’s disapproving look.   
“Wouldn’t you like to go?”   
Patsy did want to go. She’d missed the curry pizza and the snow. “I do but can we afford to?”   
Delia put her fork down. “See I’ve thought about that.”   
“Oh?”   
“Yes.”   
“Delia? I know you well but I can’t read your mind.”   
“I’m thinking about rent.”   
“Rent?”   
Delia seemed to steel herself. “If I moved in with you and the others, then both our monthly costs would decrease.”   
Patsy’s voice got stuck in her throat for a moment.   
“Oh come on Pats. At least think about it.”   
“Are you sure that would be alright?” Patsy bit her lip. “You wouldn’t feel like that would be rash.”   
“Do you think we’re going to break up in the next year?”   
“No!” Patsy was aghast.   
“Patsy I think that it would work.”   
Patsy looked at Delia and could see how much it had actually cost her to ask. Was she really scared Patsy would have said no?   
“I think,” she started. “I think it’s an excellent idea.”   
Patsy didn’t have time to look up and see Delia’s expression because after only half a second the sound of a chair falling against the floor startled her and Delia threw herself in her arms, hugging her tight.   
“Really?” she cried.   
“Yes, we’ll switch with Trixie so we’ll have the attic room.” Patsy realised how perfect that would be as she said it.   
“Will the others be okay with that you think?”   
“Delia you do your dishes, would always pay bills on time, and everyone loves you. It will be great!” Patsy was still being hugged tightly so she could only hope Delia heard the sincerity in her words. “I will ask them just to be sure but honestly I think this is a good idea.”   
Delia pulled back to look at Patsy. “So do I,” she said and laughed.   
“Now I know you have a lovely dorm room that you haven’t seen all weekend but would you consider coming home with me instead?” Patsy asked, not letting go of Delia.   
“Yes,” Delia gave her a peck on the lips before getting up, taking Patsy’s hand and steering the way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was it guys! I am starting Novel Writing Month tomorrow so I had to get this done!   
> I had initially wanted this to be part of the last chapter but the word count ran away with me! 
> 
> Thank you to those who commented (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and left kudos and to those who've not made themselves known (but from looking at the views I know you've been there) 
> 
> If anyone wants to talk about this or anything else vaguely related you can find me on tumblr as ANormalAddams

**Author's Note:**

> If there are anything you want me to add as an experience for these guys please leave a comment!


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